Professor Gill Reid BSc, PhD, FRSC
Professor of Inorganic Chemistry; Head of Functional Inorganic, Materials and Supramolecular Chemistry
Professor Gill Reid’s research focus on transition metal and main group coordination chemistry is motivated by both fundamental studies of new ligand types that explore the influence of new metal-ligand combinations on properties and reactivity, as well as more application driven targets, that include developing tailored precursor complexes for the controlled deposition of inorganic semiconductor materials for electronic and thermoelectric devices (using area selective chemical vapour deposition and electrodeposition) and new metal fluoride scaffolds for medical imaging applications.
Southampton provides a great environment for collaboration, encouraging strong links between different disciplines – this allows us to exploit the amazing creativity and atomic/molecular level control that chemistry affords to contribute towards new and innovative solutions to many of the world’s greatest challenges.
Gill was born and raised in Scotland and studied Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, receiving a BSc (hons) in 1986 and a PhD investigating the synthesis, structures and electrochemical properties of transition metal macrocyclic complexes in 1989. In 1991, following a two-year post-doctoral position in Edinburgh, she was appointed to a lectureship in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Southampton, becoming Professor in 2006. After a period as Director of Research, she served as Head of Chemistry at Southampton from 2016-2020 where she oversaw a major investment and refurbishment of the original chemistry building and teaching labs. She has published >360 papers and regularly presents her group’s work at national and international conferences. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and served as an Elected Member of RSC Council (2011-15).
Gill has a strong interest in education in Chemistry, outreach and public engagement. At present her teaching spans a range of topics across transition metal and main group coordination chemistry and macrocyclic chemistry, and she has served as External Examiner for UG degree programmes in several UK Chemistry Departments. She led Chemistry's Outreach Programme from 2000-10, while also leading several successful EPSRC and RSC projects in this area. She received the Vice Chancellor's Award for Teaching in Chemistry in 2006 and an RSC Award for Achievement in the Promotion of Chemistry (2007). Gill chaired the RSC Outreach Working Group (2014-2018) and co-led delivery of the ‘Taking Technology Smaller’ exhibit at the 2015 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, based on the EPSRC flagship Programme Grant, ‘Supercritical Fluid Electrodeposition’ (www.scfed.net).
She became President-Elect of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in July 2020 and will become RSC President in 2022.
BSc, Chemistry, University of Edinburgh 1986
PhD, Inorganic Chemistry, University of Edinburgh 1989
2006-present Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Southampton
2002–2006 Reader, School of Chemistry, University of Southampton
1999–2002 Senior Lecturer, School of Chemistry, University of Southampton
1991–1999 Lecturer, School of Chemistry, University of Southampton
1989-1991 PDRA, Department of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh