Four staff and Birmingham Plastics Network win prestigious awards for range of work inspiring future chemists
Chemistry staff and projects at the University of Birmingham have been recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) with five awards, including prizes for research excellence, voluntary work, and partnerships to find new ways to engage the public with chemistry.
Professor Rachel O’Reilly, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Professor of Polymer Chemistry at the University of Birmingham said: “I am delighted to see such significant recognition from the Royal Society of Chemistry in this year’s awards. The range of research and innovation represented by our awardees is a powerful testament to the breadth and depth of chemical sciences at Birmingham, being delivered at the highest level in our field.”
The range of research and innovation represented by our awardees is a powerful testament to the breadth and depth of chemical sciences at Birmingham
Professor Gemma-Louise Davies has been named winner of the RSC’s Inspirational Member Awards, for dedication to supporting the early career colloid chemistry community through the development of the Early Career Colloid Committee and meeting.
Professor Davies has volunteered with the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Society of Chemical Industry to build inclusive networks for chemists. She played a key role in the development of the Early Career Colloid (ECCo) Committee and their ongoing annual meeting, connecting academia and industry, organising events that support skills, collaboration and career development.
Professor Davies said, “I’m honoured to receive the RSC Inspirational Member Award. It’s especially meaningful as it recognises community-focused work, and I share it with the many colleagues and early career researchers who have been part of that journey.”
Dr Timothy Easun has won the RSC’s Award for Exceptional Service, for outstanding service to the RSC through our member communities and governance groups, in particular supporting the porous materials and supramolecular communities.
Dr Easun's volunteer work with the RSC has centred on helping people engage with chemistry and feel part of the wider scientific community. This has included supporting conferences and research networks in porous and supramolecular chemistry, mentoring early career researchers, contributing to prizes and outreach activities, and taking part in public engagement events ranging from school visits to public science festivals around the country.
Dr Timothy Easun said, “I am delighted to receive this award and extremely thankful to the many colleagues, students and volunteers I have worked with through the Royal Society of Chemistry over the years. Volunteering with the RSC has been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of my career, and the enthusiasm of the people within the chemistry community has always been hugely motivating.
“I have always aimed for my RSC activities to be engaging and inspiring, and it has been a real pleasure to see people grow in confidence, build friendships and discover opportunities through chemistry. This award is particularly meaningful because it recognises the value of those efforts and the communities behind them.”.
Dr Aneika Leney has been named winner of the RSC’s Joseph Black Prize, for the application of mass spectrometry to the understanding and manipulation of molecular processes mediated by self-assembly and post-translational modifications.
Dr Leney's research uses mass spectrometry to explore how the molecules of life, particularly proteins, interact, adapt, and function within complex biological systems. Working at the boundary between chemistry and biology, she develops new ways of observing these molecular processes, with the aim of transforming detailed scientific insight into advances for medicine, environmental sustainability, and public health.
On receiving the prize, Dr Leney said, “This honour reflects the amazing people who have surrounded and supported me throughout my career.”
Professor Peter Slater has won the RSC’s John B Goodenough Prize, for the development of new solid-state materials, fundamental structure–property understanding, and innovative synthesis routes underpinning energy storage and energy generation technologies.
Professor Slater's research group is focused on the development of new materials for technological applications, with a particular current focus on lithium- and sodium-ion batteries. They take a holistic approach to materials design and synthesis, aiming to develop new materials and synthesis routes that lower energy consumption and reduce waste, as well as developing strategies to recycle these materials at the end of their operational life.
Professor Peter Slater said, “As a long-time admirer of John Goodenough’s immense body of work, it is an honour to receive a prize named after him.”
The Birmingham Plastics Network and Stan's Café Theatre Company have been awarded the RSC’s Innovation Through Partnership Prize for creating a partnership to elevate the public profile of sustainable polymer chemistry and demonstrate how storytelling can be a powerful tool in addressing complex societal challenges.
The team brings together researchers across multiple disciplines from the University of Birmingham with the artists from Stan' Café Theatre Company to collaborate on bringing plastics policy research to life.
Professor Andrew Dove from the University of Birmingham said: "By combining academic rigour with imaginative storytelling, the partnership showed how collaboration across research and the arts can make complex issues easier to understand and spark wider public reflection, dialogue, and social impact.”
The University of Birmingham is home to one of the most dynamic and best-equipped Chemistry departments in the UK, with core research capabilities in the chemical, environmental and bio-molecular sciences and more than 500 scientists working across these disciplines. The University has world-leading research laboratories in the Molecular Sciences Building, where academic facilities are situated alongside purpose-built study spaces for undergraduate and postgraduate students, providing the tools to accelerate understanding and an environment where challenge-led research and teaching can thrive.
For media enquiries please contact Tim Mayo, Press Office, University of Birmingham, tel: +44 (0)7815 607 157.
Associate Professor of Nanomaterials
Staff profile for Gemma-Louise Davies, School of Chemsitry, University of Birmingham
Royal Society University Research Fellow
Staff profile for Dr Timothy Easun.
Associate Professor of Biological Mass Spectrometry
Dr Leney is a structural biology-based mass spectrometrist at the University of Birmingham.
Professor of Materials Chemistry
Professor Peter R. Slater is Professor in Materials Chemistry at the University of Birmingham and Co-Director of the Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage.
Professor of Sustainable Polymer Chemistry
Staff profile for Andrew Dove, Professor in Chemistry at the University of Birmingham.
