Professor David Abrahams has been awarded a CBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list, announced in June 2026, for his services to the Mathematical Sciences.
The UK's national honours system celebrates and recognises the extraordinary contributions of individuals across the UK, to all areas of society.
David Abrahams is Professor of Applied Mathematics in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. From 2016 to 2021 he was Director of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) in Cambridge, having previously been Scientific Director of the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences in Edinburgh.
Abrahams' area of research is in wave mechanics. Alongside advances in the theoretical aspects of this research, he has also been an outstandingly enthusiastic and active facilitator in applying mathematics within industry collaboration, and connecting mathematics to business, industry and government.
During his time at the INI he was instrumental in forming the Virtual Forum for Knowledge Exchange in the Mathematical Sciences (V-KEMS), enabling mathematicians to address challenges from outside mathematics in high-intensity virtual workshops. Abrahams played a vital role in setting up the UK Knowledge Exchange Hub for Mathematical Sciences, and in 2026 he was named as the first Honorary Fellow of the UK’s new Academy for the Mathematical Sciences, in recognition of his work contributing to the creation of the Academy.
His outstanding achievements have been recognised with many awards, including the IMA Gold Medal, presented in 2025 for providing 'three decades of enthusiastic, inclusive and energetic leadership to the UK applied mathematics community'. Abrahams received the medal from IMA President Hannah Fry at the Royal Society in June 2025. In her introduction Fry described Abrahams as "the most generous champion of our community we have ever had".
"I have been honoured throughout my career in the mathematical sciences to work with amazing people," says David Abrahams. "Together we have tried to help the UK remain at the forefront of the discipline and to ensure that our endeavours have real impact to society.
"I am grateful for those who have seen fit to nominate me for this award, which implicitly recognises the huge efforts of all my collaborators."
You can read more about Professor David Abrahams’ work in this feature article.