2023 Chemistry Biology Interface early career Prize: Norman Heatley Award Winner
Dr Stephen Wallace, The University of Edinburgh
Awarded for the development of chemical tools and microbial biocatalysts for sustainable synthesis.
Chemical synthesis is a key driver of industrial CO2 emissions worldwide. Research in this area must evolve in the coming years to help address the global climate crisis by developing new synthetic methods that are both greener and no longer reliant on fossil fuels.
Synthetic biology has emerged as an elegant solution to this challenge, where microorganisms can be genetically programmed to produce industrial chemicals from renewable feedstocks (for example, sugar and CO2) and ‘waste’ (like PET plastic, a form of polyester) via fermentation. Dr Wallace’s research in this area aims to reprogramme living bacteria to transform waste feedstocks into valuable industrial products through the use of synthetic biology, and to expand the chemistry of microorganisms using biocompatible reactions.
| Year | Name | Institution | Citation |
| 2022 | Dr Emily Flashman | University of Oxford | Awarded for the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of oxygen-sensing enzymes in plants and animals, in particular revealing the structural and kinetic properties of plant cysteine oxidases. |
| 2021 | Dr Manuel Müller | King's College London | Awarded for contributions to the field of posttranslational modifications, especially the use of protein chemistry to gain insight into molecular mechanisms of epigenetics processes and cancer. |
| 2020 | Professor Andrew Baldwin | University of Oxford | Awarded for the development and application of chemical methods for understanding the biology of membraneless organelles. |
| 2019 |
Professor Justin Benesch | University of Oxford | Awarded for developing physicochemical approaches to deliver quantitative insight into molecular chaperones in health and disease. |
| 2018 | Professor Andrew Dove | University of Birmingham | Awarded for seminal contributions to the chemistry-biology interface through the design and study of novel degradable biomaterials for medical applications. |
| 2017 | Dr Mark Howarth | University of Oxford | Awarded for the creation of a new family of irreversible protein interactions, with wide ranging application, through engineering genetically-encoded peptides. |
| 2016 | Professor Andrew Wilson | University of Leeds | Awarded for the development of methods to interrogate and manipulate protein-protein interactions using biomimetic approaches. |
| 2015 | Professor Mark Wallace | University of Oxford | Awarded for his distinguished work in the area of artificial lipid bilayers, creating a new way of studying membrane proteins. |
| 2014 | Dr Edward Tate | Imperial College London | Awarded for his contributions to the area of antimalarial drug discovery and for pioneering the application of chemical proteomics and its implementation in the identification of novel therapeutic targets. |
| 2013 |
Professor Rein Ulijn | University of Strathclyde | Awarded for his pioneering work on combining biocatalysis and biomolecular self-assembly in the design of molecular materials including approaches to nanofabrication, enzyme responsive materials and minimal biomolecular self-assembly. |
| 2012 |
Dr Judy Hirst | The Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge | Awarded for her work as one of the leading international experts on the chemistry of mitochondrial electron transport enzymes. |
| 2011 |
David Spring | University of Cambridge | Awarded for your work on diversity generation in organic synthesis and its application to the discovery of novel bioactive compounds including chemical probes. |
| 2010 |
Molly Stevens | Imperial College London | Awarded for her pioneering work on tissue engineering and regeneration that combines research skills at the interface of biology, chemistry, engineering and pharmaceutical sciences. |
| 2009 |
Ben Davis | University of Oxford | Awarded for his outstanding and innovative contributions to protein-carbohydrate chemical biology. |
Re-thinking recognition: Science prizes for the modern world
This report is the result of an independent review of our recognition programmes. Our aim in commissioning this review was to ensure that our recognition portfolio continues to deliver the maximum impact for chemical scientists, chemistry and society.