British astrophysicist wins Nobel prize in fundamental physics

Cairo, SEP 9 (SEE) – British astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell who was passed over for the Nobel prize for her discovery of exotic cosmic objects that light up the heavens has won the most lucrative award in modern science.

Dame Bell, a visiting professor at Oxford University, was chosen by a panel of leading scientists to receive the $3m special Breakthrough prize in fundamental physics for her landmark work on pulsars and a lifetime of inspiring leadership in the scientific community.

Bell Burnell became the first female president of both the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and helped set up the "Athena Swan programme", which is widely credited  for improving the lives of women in academia.

She will be handed the award at a glittering Silicon Valley gala in November.

The money will be handed to the Institute of Physics to fund PhD studentships for people underrepresented in physics.