Professor David Burn, President of the University of Galway, recently awarded the William King Medal to Professor Finlayson “for exceptional contribution to the history and understanding of human evolution.” 

A statement from the Government follows below:

In his medal presentation citation, Professor David Burn, President of the University of Galway, stated that the William King Medal was awarded to Professor Finlayson “for exceptional contribution to the history and understanding of human evolution.” 

He continued, “As a leading international expert on Neanderthals, the granting of the medal, here in the institution where their scientific name was first coined, represents a fitting completion of the scientific circle.” 

The presentation was made prior to the William King Annual Lecture, which Professor Finlayson had been invited to deliver on Wednesday 22nd October. The lecture series was established after a symposium held in 2014 to mark the 150th anniversary of the naming of the Neanderthal people by William King, who had been Professor of Mineralogy and Geology in Queen’s College Galway (as the University of Galway was then known). 

In introducing Professor Finlayson’s lecture, Professor Burn said that “The concept of deciphering the mysteries of our closest evolutionary relatives, the Neanderthals, has been an important theme of Professor Finlayson’s research for many years. He is a leading exponent of the relationship between climate change and species distributions.” He compared his broad range of research interests to those of William King himself. 

Referring to Gibraltar specifically, Professor Burn added, “The site at Gibraltar is now part of the Gorham’s Cave Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is one of the last places that Neanderthal people are known to have lived on Earth, and it is of immense importance for all humanity. Professor Finlayson directs the archaeological excavations there. The discoveries his team have made have been astonishing and inspiring in equal measure. His work literally forced us to reimagine our preconceptions of Neanderthal people, and addressed one of the most fundamentally important questions we can ask in science – what does it mean to be human?” 

The lecture was delivered to a full house composed of professors, lecturers, students and members of the general public. At the end of the lecture, the students presented Professor Finlayson with a glass tankard from the University. 

Commenting on the event and the award, Professor Finlayson said that he felt overwhelmed by the honour conferred on him by the University of Galway and by the incredible welcome that he and his wife, Professor Geraldine Finlayson, had received. “It is absolutely wonderful to see the level of interest in our work, with some people having travelled far to be there, and to see the enthusiasm in the faces of students in particular. For me, personally, the event has represented, as Professor Burn stated, a fitting completion of the scientific circle.”