Tony James
University of Bath
Biography
Tony James, Associate Editor, University of Bath. Bio as follows: Born in 1964, I am Professor of Chemistry at the University of Bath (UK), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and European Academy of Sciences (EurASc). I received my B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of East Anglia in 1986 and completed my Ph.D. at the University of Victoria in 1991 under the supervision of Prof. Thomas M. Fyles, working in supramolecular chemistry and molecular recognition. Following my doctoral studies, I undertook postdoctoral research in Japan (1991–1995) with Prof. Seiji Shinkai, where I began pioneering work on boronic acid–based molecular recognition and fluorescent sensing. I was subsequently awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship at the University of Birmingham (1995–2000) before moving to the University of Bath in 2001, where I have since progressed to a Professorship in Chemistry. My research interests span supramolecular chemistry, molecular recognition, fluorescent sensor design, fluorescence imaging, and theranostic systems. I am particularly known for pioneering work on fluorescent probes, including the development of the first glucose-selective fluorescent sensor in 1994. More recent work from my group focuses on fluorescent probes for imaging reactive oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur species, as well as long-wavelength probes for studying cellular metabolism, with emerging applications in cancer diagnostics. A central theme of my research has been linking fundamental supramolecular chemistry with practical biomedical challenges, advancing molecular sensing systems from laboratory concepts to real-world medical technologies. I have received several awards for interdisciplinary and international scientific collaboration, including the Daiwa Adrian Prize (2013), the CASE Prize (2015), the MSMLG Czarnik Award (2018), the Frontiers in Chemistry Diversity Award (2020), and a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2017-2022).
RSC affiliations
Advisory board, Sensors & Diagnostics