Research

Chemistry is the central molecular science - it is about everything that has to do with molecules: making them, using their properties to engineer useful things, studying fundamental physics with molecules, and using their physical properties to achieve new effects.

Our staff and students work on projects strongly tied to other disciplines in areas including plasmonics, molecular magnets, battery technology, 3D printing and malaria.

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example of biological molecule

Chemical Biology and Organic Synthesis

We develop and use advance organic synthesis methodology to design, produce and study new chemical tool compounds and natural products.

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Chemical Photonics

Our research includes ultrafast chemical physics, photonic and metamaterials for biosensing, photochemistry and chemical dynamics, the visualisation and manipulation of chemical structures, and biomolecular structure and dynamics.

example of complex molecule

Complex Chemistry

We are motivated by the fascination for complex chemical systems, and the desire to construct complex functional molecular architectures that are not based on biologically derived building blocks.

Energy conversion and storage theme illustration

Energy Conversion and Storage

We are working with technologies that will help us address the global challenges of climate change, including photovoltaics, hydrogen fuel cells, lower power lighting, batteries and carbon dioxide capture and conversion.

Power plant

Heterogeneous Catalysis

We study chemical reactions to learn more about the world around us, with the ultimate aim of addressing some of the largest challenges facing Society.

Functional Molecules and Assemblies

We design, manufacture and study advanced materials with specific functionalities from a multidisciplinary, applications-based perspective.

CHERPS

The Chemistry Higher Education Research, Practice and Scholarship (CHERPS) group has a wide range of expertise in chemical education. We put student co-creation at the heart of our projects and welcome collaborative links to drive forward innovations in pedagogy in chemistry. Our current initiatives span the diverse themes of laboratory teaching, outreach projects, graduate teaching assistant support and maths skills development.