Bill Bryson to chair panel of judges for 2015 Wellcome Book Prize

Bill Bryson is a bestselling author whose books have sold more than 16 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. His science book 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' won the 2004 Aventis Prize of the Royal Society and the Descartes Prize, the European Union's highest literary award. His other books include: 'Notes from a Small Island'; 'A Walk in the Woods'; 'Down Under'; 'The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid'; 'At Home: A short history of private life'; 'One Summer: America, 1927'; and the biography 'William Shakespeare: The world as stage'. He was editor of the Royal Society's 350th anniversary book 'Seeing Further'. Before becoming a full-time freelance writer, he worked as a journalist, principally for the 'Times', and he was one of the founding journalists at the 'Independent'. He was born in the American Midwest but has spent most of his adult life in England.

Uta Frith DBE is Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Development at UCL, a Visiting Professor at Aarhus University and a Fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Society. A pioneer in the field of autism and dyslexia, she has contributed major theories explaining some paradoxical features of these conditions as well as publishing numerous scientific articles and books. Her current interests are promoting women in science, science communication and, in particular, demystifying findings from cognitive neuroscience. She believes the study of the brain and mind will lead to big discoveries in the 21st century and a better understanding of human nature.

Mark Haddon is the author of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time', which was a bestseller around the world. It won more than 17 literary awards, including the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. He has written drama for radio and television, for which he has won two BAFTAs. His play 'Polar Bears' was produced by the Donmar Warehouse in 2007. His latest novel is 'The Red House'.

Razia Iqbal is a BBC presenter. She is one of the main presenters of 'Newshour', the BBC World Service's flagship daily current-affairs programme. She also presents 'Talking Books' on BBC World TV and 'Front Row' on Radio 4. She was the BBC's Arts Correspondent for more than a decade, and over a 25-year career at the BBC has worked as a correspondent in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as a political correspondent, and as a Special Correspondent for the six and ten o'clock news on BBC 1.

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC is a barrister, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords. She is an expert in human rights law, civil liberties and constitutional issues, and has received many honours for her work. Currently Chair of JUSTICE - the British arm of the International Commission of Jurists - she has previously been Chair of the British Council and Chair of the Human Genetics Commission. She recently produced a report for the Equality and Human Rights Commission on human trafficking in Scotland and was a member of the UK government's Commission on a Bill of Rights. A Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, she is also the Co-Chair of the International Bar Association's Institute of Human Rights and the Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford.

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The Wellcome Trust is the world's second-highest spending charitable foundation, dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. We support bright minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities, including public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. We are independent of both political and commercial interests.