Three individuals and a team from the University of Edinburgh have won prestigious prizes from the Royal Society of Chemistry, celebrating the most exciting chemical science taking place today. The Ultrafast X-ray Scattering team, an international team of scientists from the University of Edinburgh, Brown University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has been named the winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s new Faraday Division Horizon Prize. The Ultrafast X-ray Scattering team become one of the first winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s new Horizon Prizes, introduced after the organisation carried out a wholesale review of its recognition portfolio to better reflect modern science and its impacts in making the world a better place. Professor Alison Hulme, who has lived in Edinburgh for the last 26 years, has been named the winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Bader Award. Dr Jennifer Garden, who was born in Aberdeen and now lives in Edinburgh, has been named the winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Sir Edward Frankland Fellowship. Dr Stephen Thomas, who lives in Edinburgh, has been named the winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Merck, Sharp & Dohme Award. The Horizon Prizes celebrate the most exciting, contemporary chemical science at the cutting edge of research and innovation. These prizes are for teams or collaborations who are opening up new directions and possibilities in their field, through ground-breaking scientific developments. The teams receive a trophy and a professionally produced multimedia pack showcasing the prize-winning work and its importance. The Research and Innovation Prizes celebrate brilliant individuals across industry and academia. They include prizes for those at different career stages in general chemistry and for those working in specific fields, as well as interdisciplinary prizes and prizes for those in specific roles. On behalf of the School of Chemistry, I am absolutely delighted that our four amazing colleagues have been recognised by the RSC for their outstanding research achievements, which span such a wide range of chemistry. It gives me great satisfaction to see how their careers have flourished during their time at Edinburgh, and I very much look forward to hearing about their future achievements at the forefront of their respective fields. Professor Colin Pulham, Head of School of Chemistry Ultrafast X-ray Scattering team – Faraday Division Horizon Prize The team received the prize for the development of the powerful new tool which will allow researchers to more specifically control chemical reactions, improve the efficiency of solar energy harvesting, design light-driven machines or optimise the performance of catalysts. They become one of the first winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s new Horizon Prizes, introduced after the organisation carried out a wholesale review of its recognition portfolio to better reflect modern science and its impacts in making the world a better place. The Horizon Prizes celebrate the most exciting, contemporary chemical science at the cutting edge of research and innovation. These prizes are for teams or collaborations who are opening up new directions and possibilities in their field, through ground-breaking scientific developments. The international team also receive a trophy and a professionally produced multimedia pack showcasing the prize-winning work and its importance. We have been excited about this science and the opportunities it brings for quite some time, and it is fantastic to see the broader community share in that excitement. This particular prize is special as it allows the efforts of the entire team to be recognised. We are very happy. Dr Adam Kirrander Light-induced processes in chemistry, physics, material science and biology are governed by dynamic changes in molecular and electronic structure. Using X-ray Free-Electron Lasers allows the team to determine the motion of atoms during a chemical reaction, track the structural changes in excited molecules and record the rearrangement of electrons when a molecule absorbs light. The ability to watch the structural and electronic evolution of molecules during chemical processes is crucial for the interpretation of chemical reaction mechanisms, the design of catalysts, and the functionality of biologically active entities. Professor Alison Hulme – Bader Award Professor Hulme won the prize For creative applications of alkyne chemistry in synthesis and label-free Raman imaging in cells. Professor Hulme also receives £3000 and a medal. I am truly delighted to receive the Bader Award. I feel honoured to see my name placed alongside previous awardees, some of whom taught me and many of whom I have worked with in my career. The award is a reflection of many years of hard work by my co-workers, for which I am very grateful; their dedication, commitment and insight has allowed us to explore novel and exciting chemistry. We have been supported by academic, clinical and industrial collaborators in Edinburgh and beyond, who have enriched the chemistry that we are able to conduct and kept our efforts grounded in real-world applications. Professor Alison Hulme The Hulme group strives to find new and more efficient ways of making complex molecules based on templates from nature, that have the potential to treat a range of diseases. In recent years, they have also pioneered the use of new Raman imaging techniques that are particularly suited to tracking the location of drugs in live cells. In collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry and clinicians, they are applying these imaging techniques to validating new strategies for cancer treatment and diagnosis. Dr Jennifer Garden – Sir Edward Frankland Fellowship Dr Garden won the prize for contributions to the advancements in homo- and hetero-metallic catalysis for sustainable polymerisation chemistry. Dr Garden also receives £3000 and a medal. I am absolutely thrilled to have been awarded this prize. I am very grateful for the guidance and support of the inspirational mentors and colleagues who I have been lucky enough to work with along this journey. I am also very thankful to my supportive family and friends, as well as my wonderful research team. It is an honour to follow in the footsteps of the previous winners of this award and a special privilege to be the third female recipient. Dr Jennifer Garden There is an urgent need to rethink the way in which we interact with plastics, and to develop sustainable alternatives to conventional materials. The Garden Group's research focuses on producing degradable plastics from renewable sources. This work is underpinned by developing new catalysts that can improve the efficiency of these processes. Dr Stephen Thomas – Merck, Sharp & Dohme Award Dr Thomas won the prize for the development and creative applications of novel methods to enable catalysis, using organometallic-free activation of first-row transition metal and main-group pre-catalysts. Dr Thomas also receives £3000 and a medal. Surprise, pride in the work of the group and humbled. The list of previous awardees is pretty intimidating. It is an honour to join them. Dr Stephen Thomas Dr Thomas's research group aims to make the future of chemical synthesis sustainable by replacing the precious and scarce metals currently used in these processes with the earth’s most abundant resources (eg iron and aluminium). To do this, they have introduced a suite of tools and methods that allow unreactive metals to be used as catalysts for industrial and academically relevant transformations. EaStCHEM has a good track record with this award. The last UK-based researcher to win the prize was Professor Andrew Smith at the University of St Andrews. More Information All of us have experienced tremendous challenges in the last year and the chemical sciences community has been integral to how the world has responded on a number of levels. From developing vaccines for COVID-19 to continuing to work towards a more sustainable world – the contribution of chemical scientists has never been more tangible or important. In a recent review of our recognition portfolio, we committed to ensuring that our prizes reflected the incredible diversity and excellence of chemistry being carried out today. The work of the three Research & Innovation Prize winners from the University of Edinburgh is a prime example of what we are so passionate about and we are proud to recognise her contribution with this prize. Dr Helen Pain, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry’s prizes have recognised excellence in the chemical sciences for more than 150 years. In 2019, the organisation announced the biggest overhaul of this portfolio in its history, designed to better reflect modern science. Of those to have won a Royal Society of Chemistry Prize, over 50 have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their pioneering work, including 2019 Nobel laureate John B. Goodenough. For more information about the RSC’s modern Prizes portfolio, visit their prizes web page This article was published on 2024-03-19
