2024 Environment, Sustainability and Energy Early Career Prize Winner
Dr Nicholle Bell, University of Edinburgh
Awarded for innovations in high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and mass-spectrometry methods applied to the understanding of global carbon embedded in complex environmental matrices.
Healthy peatlands act as vital carbon stores and sinks and are able to store more carbon than all of the Earth’s forests combined. However, the majority of the world’s peatlands are damaged, resulting in the loss of carbon. Damaged peatlands are prone to wildfires and cannot act as flood barriers or valuable water filters. In order to restore and protect peatlands, we need to understand how they work.
On a molecular level, peat is one of the most complex mixtures known, and its composition is largely uncharacterised to date. To meet this challenge, Dr Bell and her team develop and utilise the most powerful analytical tools of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. These methods enable the team to unravel the composition of peat, identify markers of good health, inform restoration efforts and, ultimately, help us protect these precious ecosystems.
| Year | Name | Institution | Citation |
| 2023 | Dr Joshua Makepeace | University of Birmingham | Awarded for advancing ammonia-based fuels and hydrogen storage through the use of metal amide and imide materials, ammonia synthesis and decomposition catalysts. |
| 2022 | Dr Anabel Lanterna MRSC | The University of Nottingham | Awarded for innovative research on heterogeneous photocatalysis, pushing boundaries towards less expensive, light-responsive, reusable catalytic processes for sustainable chemistry. |
| 2021 | Dr Chiara Giorio | University of Cambridge | Awarded for research on the environmental fate of systemic pesticides, influencing global pesticide regulation for sustainable agriculture. |
| 2019 | Dr Federico Bella | Politecnico di Torino | Awarded for the inventive development of photoinduced polymerization strategies for solar cells and batteries using solvent- and catalyst-free processes. |
| 2017 | Professor Ning Yan | National University of Singapore | Awarded for innovative research on the valorization of wastes through rational catalyst design, including developments of a “waste shell biorefinery” and reductive lignin depolymerization. |
| 2015 | Professor Omar Farha | Northwestern University | Awarded for seminal contributions to the development of catalysis, storage and separations by metal-organic frameworks. |
| 2013 |
Dr Rafael Luque | University of Cordoba | Awarded for his outstanding work in the multidisciplinary areas of nanomaterials, green chemistry and energy. |
| 2011 |
Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer | University of Nottingham | Awarded for her internationally recognised research at the interface between energy and the environment, in particular for her outstanding contributions in carbon capture and storage. |
| 2009 |
Dr Charlotte Williams | Imperial College London | Awarded for her work on the synthesis of biodegradable polymers from renewable sources and development of polymers for use in photoelectric devices. |
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.