Alexander Fleming
Awards & Honours
3
Awards Won
6
Honours
2
Rankings
1
Records
Fleming's record is unusual for a scientist: one discovery, made almost by accident, that changed the course of medicine. Penicillin was the first true antibiotic, and the 1945 Nobel Prize he shared with Florey and Chain recognized the discovery and its curative effect. He was knighted in 1944, elected FRS in 1943, and later served as Rector of Edinburgh University. In 1999 TIME named him one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, and a 2009 STV poll placed him third among the Greatest Scots. The Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement, given by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, carries his name forward.
Awards
Honours & Distinctions
Knight Bachelor
Knighted for services to medicine.
Fellow of the Royal Society
Elected for scientific contributions.
Rector of Edinburgh University
Served as Rector.
TIME 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century
Named among the 100 most important people of the 20th century.
Greatest Scots poll, 3rd place
Placed third in a public poll of the greatest Scots.
Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement
Award named in his honour, given for lifetime achievement in infectious diseases.
Rankings & Lists
TIME 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century
Greatest Scots
Records & Feats
Discovered the first true antibiotic
Penicillin, observed in 1928, launched the antibiotic revolution and transformed treatment of bacterial infection, surgery, childbirth and wartime medicine.