Lithium-ion battery pioneer, Stanley Whittingham, has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours 2024, alongside others from the chemistry community.
Whittingham, whos was born in the UK and is the director of the NorthEast Center for Chemical Energy Storage at Binghamton University, was named a Knight Bachelor for his services to chemistry. Whittingham was a pioneer in the development of lithium-ion batteries, for which he jointly won the Nobel prize in chemistry in 2019 with John Goodenough and Akira Toshino. He holds the original patent on the use of intercalation chemistry in high-power density, highly-reversible lithium batteries.
Also recognised in the King’s birthday honours, announced on 14 June, was chemist John Irvine at the University of St Andrews, who was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to the green economy. Irvine has made a significant contribution to the science of energy materials, in particular fuel cell and energy conversion technologies, and is also editor-in-chief of the Journal of Physics Energy.
Ocean chemist, Rachel Mills was also made a CBE for her services to marine science. Mills is a deep-sea oceanographer who works on the chemistry of the seafloor and its impact on life in the sea. She has led research expeditions using submersibles and remotely operated vehicles to learn more about unexplored parts of the ocean and her work has changed understanding of how chemicals are dispersed across ocean basins and drive global biogeochemical processes.
Terry Smith, director of the Biomedical Sciences Research Complex (BSRC) at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, was another to be recognised with a CBE for his services to disease research. Smith is an expert in phospholipid metabolism and the use of mass spectrometry techniques and has almost 30 years’ experience in molecular and biochemical parasitology.
Also recognised in the honours was Matthew Rosseinsky, an inorganic chemist at the University of Liverpool, who was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to materials chemistry research and innovation. Rosseinsky’s group researches solid-state materials with the aim of improving their performance for applications such as energy storage and catalysis.
Dudley Shallcross, an atmospheric chemist at the University of Bristol and member of the Cabot Institute for the Environment, was also awarded an OBE. Shallcross, who has pioneered virtual labs to help build enthusiasm and competence among students and science teachers alike, was recognised for his services to science education. In 2020, Shallcross was made president of the education division at the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Finally, Robert Tooze, honorary professor of chemistry at the University of St Andrews was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to science and industry. An expert in catalysis, Tooze’s commitment to the chemical industry spans almost 40 years. He has played a pivotal role in the invention and development of several novel technologies that have significantly reduced the environmental footprint of large chemical processes. In his retirement he has become involved with a number of initiatives including Fuel Change, a social enterprise which aims to create a carbon-neutral future designed by the next generation.
This article was updated on 8 August 2024
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