Kishan Dholakia at the University of St. Andrews has been awarded the 2017 Institute of Physics’ (IOP) Thomas Young Medal and Prize for his distinguished contributions to the field of optical micromanipulation using shaped light fields in liquid, air and vacuum. In addition to his fundamental photonics studies, his work over the last two decades has also included using shaped light for biomedical imaging with particular emphasis on early detection of cancer, neuroscience and developmental biology. The IOP awards recognize and reward excellence in people and teams who have made outstanding and exceptional contributions to the strength of physics. “I am truly honored and humbled to receive this highly prestigious award,” Dholakia said. “It is a recognition of my whole group’s work in this exciting area of optical manipulation and beyond. They share this accolade with me.” The Institute of Physics is a scientific charity that works to advance physics education, research and application.