Each year Oxford Brookes awards honorary degrees recognising the outstanding work of individuals in the worlds of science, arts, academia, politics, industry, medicine, entertainment, volunteering and other fields. Among our 2008 Honorary Graduates are two experts who have won the highest accolade in the world for their pioneering work.

Sir Paul Nurse won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2001, for his research into cell cycles which opened up new possibilities for the treatment of cancer. He is President of the Rockefeller University, which boasts five other Nobel Laureates in a research staff of just 70.

He is a passionate scientist who is modest about his achievements. "It's embarrassing to be singled out because there are always so many other people involved in the work," he says, "but it's wonderful to get the public recognition which comes with the Nobel Prize."

The work of Sir Paul and his colleagues will have an immense impact over the coming years. "With gradual but significant improvements," he says, "I believe we will see the fear of cancer gone in my lifetime."

Sir Paul's belief in science as a force for good reaches all areas of society, and is evident in his commitment to put rational scientific discourse, and what he calls 'better knowledge" at the heart of public debates such as climate change and health in the developing world.

His advice to aspiring scientists? "Be passionately curious, even when the going gets rough." And to society? "Resist the irrational."

Dr RK Pachauri is in charge of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with former US Vice-President Al Gore in 2007.

"The award brought with it a great feeling of pride and a sense of achievement which was the result of a large scale collective effort," says Dr Pachauri. "Ever since I took over as Chairman of the IPCC, I have highlighted the importance of taking the message of science to the public at large, and I felt that the importance of this approach had been recognised by the world."

Dr Pachauri believes there has been a dramatic shift in public awareness on the subject of climate change in the past eighteen months. "Right from schoolchildren across the globe to Presidents and Prime Ministers in every country there is now much greater understanding ... and I think it would be fair to say the world is taking climate change much more seriously."

So what does he think would make the single biggest difference to tackling the challenge of climate change? "To put a price on carbon. The response to the sharp increase in oil prices in recent months. An appropriate price on carbon would lead to technological changes, shifts in consumption and changes in lifestyles, all of which will bring about a reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases."