2022 Organic Division early career award: Hickinbottom Award Winner
Dr Louis Morrill, Cardiff University
Awarded for the development of sustainable methodologies for synthesis which employ catalysts that are metal-free or based on earth-abundant first row transition metals.
In 2021 the UK government set its ambitious climate change target into law: to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. As part of this enormous collective effort, it is vital that the UK remains at the forefront of innovation in the development of more sustainable synthetic methods to produce important chemicals for society.
Dr Morrill's research group aims to introduce new, more sustainable synthetic approaches to enable chemical transformations that are otherwise difficult to achieve. For example, developing clean and sustainable catalytic and electrochemical processes is of high importance, particularly for industrial processes. Investment and innovation in this area will support various UK chemical industries to adopt more sustainable synthetic approaches and contribute towards UK (and global) priorities.
| Year | Name | Institution | Citation |
| 2021 | Professor Vijay Chudasama | University College London | Awarded for the development of reagents and strategies for site-selective protein modification to enable targeted therapy, imaging and diagnostics. |
| 2020 | Dr Jordi Burés | University of Manchester | Awarded for the development of novel kinetic analyses to streamline the elucidation of reaction mechanisms. |
| 2019 |
Dr Allan Watson | University of St Andrews | Awarded for developing approaches to understand the mechanism of catalytic reactions and to generate new approaches to make C-X bonds. |
| 2018 | Dr William Unsworth | University of York | Awarded for creativity in the development of new methods for the synthesis of functionalised macrocycles and spirocycles. |
| 2017 | Dr Andrew Lawrence | University of Edinburgh | Awarded for biomimetic approaches to total synthesis involving cycloadditions, characterised by brevity and elegance. |
| 2016 | Dr Stephen Thomas | University of Edinburgh | Awarded for his highly selective iron-catalyzed hydrofunctionalization of alkenes, particularly hydrocarboxylation, and the development of a suite of easily handled iron catalysts. |
| 2015 | Dr John Bower | University of Bristol | Awarded for his research on the design and mechanism of broadly applicable transition metal catalysed processes for organic synthesis. |
| 2014 | Dr Stephen Goldup | Queen Mary, University of London | Awarded for pioneering work on rotaxane synthesis and the formation of mechanically bonded systems. |
| 2013 |
Dr Oren Scherman | University of Cambridge | Awarded for his innovative and insightful contributions to aqueous supramolecular chemistry, in particular the harnessing of cucurbiturils for a wide range of applications. |
| 2012 |
Dr Rachel O'Reilly | University of Warwick | Awarded for ground-breaking work in the synthesis of new macromolecular architectures and in the development of novel functionalization reactions and organic transformations for materials chemistry. |
| 2011 |
Hon Lam | University of Edinburgh | Awarded for his development of new metal-catalysed reactions that address important unsolved problems, typically with an "asymmetric twist". |
| 2010 |
Matthew Clarke | University of St Andrews | Awarded for his design and development of new and industrially applicable catalysts for asymmetric hydroxycarbonylation and the formation of tertiary carbon centres via hydroformylation. |
| 2009 |
Gregory Challis | University of Warwick | Awarded for his exploitation of genomics, for the discovery of novel bioactive natural products and his mechanistic studies on enzymes that catalyse key steps in pathogenicity-conferring siderophore biosynthesis. |
| 2006/2008 | Professor Jonathan P Clayden | University of Manchester | |
| 2000/2002 | Guy C Lloyd-Jones | University of Bristol | |
| 1996-1997 | Varinder K Aggarwal | ||
| 1996-1997 | Susan E Gibson | Imperial College London | |
| 1994/1995 | Richard F W Jackson | ||
| 1993-1994 | Nigel S Simpkins | ||
| 1992/1993 | D Gani, P C B Page | ||
| 1991/1992 | Christopher Abell | University of Cambridge | |
| 1990/1991 | Timothy C Gallagher | ||
| 1989/1990 | Ian Paterson | ||
| 1988/1989 | David Parker | ||
| 1987/1988 | John A Robinson | ||
| 1986/1987 | Christopher J Moody | ||
| 1985/1986 | Richard J K Taylor | ||
| 1984/1985 | Stephen G Davies | University of Oxford | |
| 1983/1984 | Philip J Kocienski | ||
| 1982/1983 | E J Thomas | ||
| 1981/1982 | Steven V Ley | ||
| 1981/1982 | Jeremy K M Sanders | University of Cambridge |
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.