The University of Liverpool's Professor Tara Shears and Professor Simeon Yates have been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours list 2026.
Professor Tara Shears will be awarded an OBE for her services to physics. Professor Shears is a highly influential figure in particle physics, playing a key role both at the University of Liverpool and across the wider research sector. Professor Simeon Yates will be awarded an MBE in recognition of his services to digital inclusion. He has undertaken research on the social, political, and cultural impacts of digital media for over three decades, with a substantial focus on projects addressing digital inclusion and exclusion.
Professor Tara Shears
An experimental particle physicist at Liverpool, she leads a group developing advanced detectors and conducting research for the LHCb experiment at CERN, while also serving as spokesperson for the UK LHCb collaboration and co‑leading Liverpool's Particle Physics Frontier. After completing her PhD in 1995 and holding fellowships with PPARC and CERN, she joined Liverpool in 2000 and became Professor in 2012. Alongside her research, she holds prominent leadership positions as Vice‑President for Science and Innovation at the Institute of Physics and Chair of the Physics subpanel for REF2029, where she contributes significantly to shaping and evaluating physics research in the UK.
Professor Shears said: "It is so lovely and so unexpected to be recognised in this way, and because physics is such a collaborative subject I really think this reflects on all of us, and what we can achieve when we work together. This award is also a celebration of the importance of fundamental physics in helping us understand the universe and shaping the world around us. I am truly honoured."
Professor Simeon Yates
Professor Yates works with academic, charitable, and government colleagues to develop policies and interventions to support digital inclusion.
He works with the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as part of the UK Digital Inclusion Action Committee, as well as the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the UK's media regulator Ofcom, the Welsh and Scottish Governments, and regional governments such as Greater Manchester and Liverpool.
Professor Yates also works extensively with charity organisations such as the Good Things Foundation, Cwmpas in Wales and SCVO in Scotland. In 2017, he was seconded to DCMS to act as research lead for the Digital Culture team - helping to develop the first UK Digital Culture policy.
Professor Yates is also one of the co-leads of the University's AI for life research frontier, which focuses on advancing AI technologies and their applications to develop solutions to address significant societal challenges.
Professor Yates said: "I am delighted, a little surprised, and humbled to receive this honour. We live in a rapidly digitising world, which can bring great benefits. However, we must be mindful that this ongoing digital transformation of society risks leaving some groups and communities behind, locked out of all or some of the benefits of our digital world. The work of the Digital Media and Society Institute (DMSI), which I co-direct, explores these issues and directly supports policymakers and charities.
"In receiving this award, I am conscious of all the colleagues who have supported me directly and our work more broadly. I particularly want to thank my research teams (current and past) for all their hard work, and our key funders and stakeholders, especially the Nuffield Foundation and Good Things Foundation, who have supported our work over many years."
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Jones, said: "I am delighted to see both Professor Tara Shears and Professor Simeon Yates recognised in this way. Their leadership and dedication in their respective fields is delivering tangible impacts and benefits to students, society and the global research community.
"On behalf of the University I want to wish them both a huge congratulations. We are enormously proud."
