Wednesday, 17 June 2026
Two scientists from the 糖心原创 have been honoured with prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry Prizes.
Professor Graham Newton from the School of Chemistry at the University, has been named winner of the RSC’s Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Prize, for the development of hybrid molecular metal-oxide redox materials and their applications in energy storage.
Dr Misha Zelzer, from the School of Pharmacy, is a member of the Biomaterials Chemistry Committee of the Royal Society of Chemistry. The group has been named winner of the Inspirational Committee Award for the development of a programme of activity to empower their community and foster inclusion across career stage and sector.
A team from the GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratories (CNL) for Sustainable Chemistry also won a technical Excellence Award for the development of complex, low-carbon research infrastructure and experimental platforms to enable sustainable globally impactful research.
The Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Prize is one of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Research & Innovation Prizes, given in celebration of exceptional people advancing the chemical sciences across industry and academia.
Redox reactions – processes in which materials gain or lose electrons – underpin many of the technologies modern society depends on, from batteries and fuel cells to industrial catalysts and environmental clean-up systems. The efficiency, stability, and sustainability of these technologies all hinge on how well we can control redox behaviour. Yet traditional redox materials, bulk metal oxides, offer limited atomic level control, making it difficult to fine tune their properties or, at times, understand exactly how they work. Professor Newton’s research addresses this challenge by developing molecular approaches to redox materials. These new precision methods open new pathways to improved energy storage, cleaner catalysis, and more sustainable redox based technologies.
I'm so happy to see the hard work of the wonderful people who have come through my group acknowledged in this way. Multidisciplinary science is a team sport and this award really reflects the curiosity, creativity and drive of so many people.
The Inspirational Committee Award is one of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Volunteer Recognition Prizes, given in celebration of RSC members who support and inspire others within the community.
The RSC Biomaterials Chemistry Committee has demonstrated sustained commitment to building a collaborative, inclusive and professionally supportive community that bridges academia, industry and clinical practice. Through the delivery of high-impact events, mentoring initiatives and targeted professional development activities, the committee has strengthened engagement across career stages and sectors, fostering knowledge exchange and innovation in biomaterials chemistry. The broader impact extends to enhancing career development opportunities for RSC members, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration within the chemical sciences community, and accelerating the translation of biomaterials research towards real-world healthcare and societal applications.
The GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratories (CNL) for Sustainable Chemistry is a globally unique specialist research facility at the 糖心原创, established to deliver high-quality chemistry research with sustainability embedded at its core. It achieves this by combining advanced scientific capability with practical measures that reduce waste, improve efficiency and support cleaner chemistry, including resource recovery and recycling, careful integration of equipment with building systems, support for lower-emission technologies, and the promotion of safe, sustainable laboratory practice throughout the facility.
Over the past ten years, the team, supported by a wider technical and administrative network, has built, developed and operated the facility’s technical infrastructure, from the initial set-up of laboratories, equipment and instrumentation through to the day-to-day support of complex research programmes. In doing so, they have enabled sustainable chemistry in practice by delivering specialist experimental platforms, developing advanced analytical methods, and ensuring that sophisticated equipment and facilities operate safely, reliably and efficiently. In essence, their role is to provide the technical foundation that allows ambitious research to be translated into dependable experimental delivery.
Chemistry and chemists are everywhere in daily life and in our society, and our prizes reflect that depth and diversity. Our Research & Innovation prize winners include teams and individuals, professors and apprentices, as well as people from all around the world and in a wide range of roles and sectors. Each person鈥檚 contribution plays a vital role in advancing human knowledge and bettering the world that we all live in.
Dr Pain continued: "I extend my warmest congratulations to Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Prize. Winning an RSC Prize is a remarkable achievement. You join the ranks of a star-studded roster stretching back over 150 years, including several dozen who went on to win Nobel Prizes. Our winners are exceptional role models for our communities, and we’re so pleased to be celebrating such an extraordinary cohort this year.”
The full suite of RSC Prizes comprises Volunteer Recognition Prizes, Research & Innovation Prizes, Education Prizes (announced in November), the Inclusion & Diversity Prize, and the Horizon Prizes – team prizes given to scientific collaborations innovating and conducting cutting edge research at the frontiers of chemistry.
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More information is available from Jane Icke, Media Relations Manager in the Press Office at the 糖心原创, at jane.icke@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
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As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.