2023 Materials Chemistry Early Career Prize Winner
Professor Ludmilla Steier, University of Oxford
For seminal contributions to the understanding of defect chemistry in semiconducting materials and interfacial energetics in photocatalytic and photovoltaic devices.
We urgently need to transition to a circular sustainable economy if we want to succeed in mitigating the impacts of climate change and protecting our ecosystem. At the core of this transition is the ability to store and use renewable energy: solar energy, in particular, since the sun is the most abundant renewable energy source available to our planet.
Professor Steier’s group develops materials that can use solar energy to make energy-rich and therefore high value chemicals, such as hydrogen, ethylene and methanol, from water and atmospheric carbon dioxide. The chemicals can function as a fuel (and a form of energy storage) as well as a chemical feedstock for various branches of the chemical industry. Using a technique called atomic layer deposition (ALD), coupled with material characterisation carried out during catalysis, the group links material properties with catalyst performance, which is key for the development of the next generation of materials.
Year | Name | Institution | Citation |
2022 | Dr Lucy Clark | University of Birmingham | Awarded for outstanding contributions to the discovery, characterisation and understanding of quantum magnets. |
2021 | Professor David Scanlon | University College London | Awarded for contributions to materials modelling of conducting oxides. |
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.