Swiss Nobel Prize winners attend official ceremony

Nobel Prize in Physics Laureates Didier Queloz (l), Michel Mayor (centre) and James Peebles (r) during a press conference at The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Keystone / Jonas Ekstromer

Swiss scientists Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz have attended the official Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm.

They were jointly awarded the Nobel PrizeExternal link for Physics together with Canadian-American cosmologist James Peebles for their work in furthering our understanding of the universe.

Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf handed over the medals and diplomas in Stockholm on Tuesday. Last week the physics and chemistry Nobel Prize winners spoke to astronauts on the International Space Station by satellite link.

Swiss education and research minister Guy Parmelin was also present having been invited by Michel Mayor and the University of Geneva, who wanted to underline the importance of public funding for basic scientific research in Switzerland.

In 1995, Queloz and Mayor first announced the discovery of “51 Pegasi b”, a planet orbiting a star other than our own, revolving around a star 42 light years away from Earth. 

The University of Geneva professors were named as joint Nobel Prize winners in October, carrying on a tradition of Swiss Nobel recognition.

Since Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross, got the Swiss Nobel ball rolling in 1901 when he won the Peace Prize, a total of 30 awardsExternal link have gone to Swiss individuals. This puts Switzerland near the top of the list of Nobel laureates per capitaExternal link. 

The prize for physiology or medicine has gone to a Swiss nine times, followed by chemistry and physics (eight each), peace (three) and literature (two).