2024 Dalton Emerging Researcher Prize Winner
Dr Selena Lockyer, The University of Manchester
Awarded for synthetic and spectroscopic studies of molecular magnets, particularly supramolecular assemblies that could be used in quantum information processing.
Dr Lockyer investigates the properties of individual electrons at the molecular level and how they can interact with one another and relay or store information. This is done at the National Service for Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Manchester.
Apart from making devices smaller, quantum devices possess other advantages. One such phenomenon is known as a superposition state that can be used in quantum bits (qubits), which a standard classical bit – the ones in our laptops – is unable to achieve.
A quantum computer will help us address society's challenges by modelling and developing solutions for climate change, sustainability and energy sources, medical conditions, and how to make a more efficient and better quantum computer.
| Year | Name | Institution | Citation |
| 2023 | Dr Josef Boronski AMRSC | University of Oxford | Awarded for groundbreaking investigations into actinide-cyclobutadienyl chemistry, leading to the preparation of a σ-aromatic cluster featuring direct actinide-actinide bonding. |
| 2022 | Dr Richard Kong AMRSC | Cornell University | Awarded for the development of and mechanistic insight into novel bond breaking and bond making methods using main-group reagents. |
| 2021 | Dr Jiangnan Li | The University of Manchester | Awarded for the development of stable porous materials for the capture and conversion of NOx and SOx. |
| 2020 | Dr Andrew Wilson | University of Bath | For the development of uniquely nucleophilic hydrido- and organocalcium reagents. |
| 2019 |
Dr Claudia Bonfio | MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology | Awarded for the development of chemistry to investigate the chemical roots of iron-sulfur dependent metabolism. |
| 2018 | Dr Conrad Goodwin | The University of Manchester | Awarded for the development of synthetic routes to unprecedented magnetic molecules. |
| 2017 | Dr Alexander Hinz | University of Oxford | Awarded for his ground-breaking contributions to low-valent main group chemistry, specifically in the fields of p-block biradicaloids and multiply-bonded compounds of the group 15 elements. |
| 2016 | Not awarded this year | ||
| 2015 | Dr Nicholas Chilton | The University of Manchester | Awarded for his major contributions to theory and modelling in molecular magnetism, developing new computer programs for fitting data and new intuitive models for understanding low temperature magnetic behaviour. |
| 2014 | Dr Kogularamanan Suntharalingam | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Awarded for his contributions to the design and development of new metallo-pharmaceuticals and to the understanding of their complex mechanisms of action. |
| 2013 |
Dr Rebecca Melen | University of Toronto | Awarded for advances in main group catalysed dehydrocoupling reactions and rationale of reactivity trends in p-block amido chemistry. |
| 2012 |
Dr Ross Inglis | University of Edinburgh | Awarded for the development of the coordination chemistry of phenolic oximes and their roles in the chemistry and physics of molecular magnets. |
| 2011 |
Elizabeth New | University of California, Berkeley | Awarded in recognition of her research in bioinorganic chemistry, and in particular the development of new probes for molecular imaging in living systems. |
| 2010 |
Anna Company Casadevall | Technische Universität Berlin | Awarded in recognition of her research in bioinorganic chemistry, and in particular the development of models for copper and non-heme iron proteins involved in oxygen activation. |
| 2009 |
Guillermo Mínguez Espallargas | Universidad de Valencia, Spain | Awarded in recognition of his research of solid state reactions of coordination compounds and the development of the use of halogen-bonding interactions in crystal engineering. |
| 2008 |
Kevin Hanni | University or Edinburgh | Awarded for recognition of his invention, development and application of the 'active template' method of synthesising complex supramolecular structures. |
| 2008 |
Zoi Pipirou | University of Leicester | Awarded for recognition of her research on the mechanism of formation of covalent links between heme groups and amino acid residues of proteins. |
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.