A University of Canterbury scientist is the first New Zealander to be awarded the prestigious Einstein Medal.
Emeritus Professor Roy Kerr has been recognised by the Albert Einstein Society in Switzerland for his 1963 solution to Einstein's gravitational field equations.
The Kerr Solution, as it has come to be known, provides an exact description of the space outside a rotating black hole.
It's regarded as the most important exact solution to any equation in physics.
The Einstein Medal is awarded annually and its first recipient was Stephen Hawking in 1979.
Six Nobel laureates have also been bestowed the honour.
Prof Kerr will be presented with the Einstein Medal at a ceremony at the University of Bern in Switzerland in May.
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