Continued development in Chemistry at Southampton
The University of Southampton is investing in Chemistry. It has now recruited seven top academics who will bring significant expertise across a range of disciplines, following major investment in scientific facilities.
So far this year, Chemistry has been awarded almost £10 million in grants from research councils and industry. It also hosts the £4million Southampton Diffraction Centre and National Crystallography Service, which attracted funding of £3.5m in 2010 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
"We are very proud of our reputation for outstanding innovation and enterprise. Securing this level of grant income reflects our commitment to cutting-edge science, which is transforming our world," says Professor Phil Gale, Head of Chemistry.
"We haven't yet completed our current recruitment programme. We will be making further appointments over the coming months. Already our newly-appointed academics mark the biggest single investment in research and teaching staff in the department's history and will allow us to consolidate our work in exciting new areas."
New members of staff include:
- Dr Darren Bradshaw (Reader), a materials chemist focusing on metal-organic frameworks.
- Dr Ramon Rios Torres (Reader), whose interest is in organocatalysis.
- Dr Graeme Day (Reader), a specialist in structure prediction and lattice dynamics in molecular crystals.
- Dr Seung Lee (Lecturer), who studies the structure and function of enzymes related to carbohydrates.
- Dr Jonathan Watts (Lecturer), takes a specialist interest in nucleic acids research.
- Dr Ilya Kuprov (Principle Research Fellow and EPSRC fellow) works in the field of theoretical and computational methods of quantum theory.
- Dr Marcel Utz, (Reader) who specialises in ‘NMR on a Chip'.
Chemistry at Southampton has been ranked in the top ten of The Times Good University Guide 2013, positioning it as one of the best departments in the UK for undergraduate study.
The Guide, released in June 2012, assesses academic departments upon the undergraduate experience they offer, and includes the views of recent students, leading academics' verdicts on the quality of research and the success rates of graduates in the employment market. It is recognised as the most authoritative assessment of its type and is used by university applicants, parents and even governments across the world.