Dr Michael Schultz, an alumnus of St John's, is made an Officer of the Order of Cultural Merit in Romania

Dr Michael Schultz has been made an Officer of the Order of Cultural Merit by the President of Romania, in recognition of his contribution to Romanian scientific research. 

Dr Schultz matriculated at Exeter College in 1967 to read for a BA in Botany and then joined St John's in 1970 to undertake his DPhil in Forestry. 

The award recognises Dr Schultz's work as an adviser to Romania's National Research and Development Institute for Marine Geology and Geoecology, in particular the development of DANUBIUS-RI - a pan-European distributed research infrastructure supporting research on River-Sea Systems – which is led by Romania. The medal was presented to him by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis.

The Cultural Merit Order is a decoration awarded for outstanding achievements in the cultural field. It was established in 1931 by royal decree.

As well as the National Research and Development Institute for Marine Geology and Geoecology, Dr Schultz also provides scientific expertise to the European Commission and he has previously worked for many years for the Natural Environment Research Council.