On Friday 10 February, Professor Nigel Gilbert, founder and director of Surrey’s Centre for Research in Social Simulation, received a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to engineering and the social sciences.

The distinguished academic, who is an expert in computational social science, social simulation and sociological methods of research and statistics, joined Surrey as a Lecturer in 1976, before becoming a professor in the Department of Sociology in 1991.

Professor Gilbert pioneered the development of computer programs to help people work out their entitlement to benefits, as now routinely used by advice services. He was also one of the first, with Surrey’s Professor Sara Arber, to use computer files of survey data collected by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, a data source that has now become commonplace in sociology.

Speaking about his CBE, Nigel said: “It is a tremendous honour to receive this prestigious award.  I feel very fortunate to be involved in work that I feel so passionate about, and am truly grateful to all my friends and colleagues for supporting me.”