Professor Richard Layfield - 2023 Corday-Morgan Prize winner

Professor Richard Layfield CSci CChem FRSC

Winner: 2023 Corday-Morgan Prize

University of Sussex

For pioneering work in lanthanide and uranium chemistry including single-molecule magnetism.

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The chemical sciences will always be an indispensable part of a resilience strategy at national and global levels, hopefully making us more secure as a society in the process.

Professor Layfield and his team make the world's tiniest magnets, the size of a single molecule. Single-molecule magnets, or SMMs, have unique quantum properties and offer huge potential for developing novel materials. However, the majority of SMMs function only when exposed to extremely low temperatures – for example, with liquid helium cooling. The group's work aims to better understand structure-property relationships in molecular magnetism, which may help to accelerate the use of SMMs in fields such as quantum computing.

Read winner biography

Professor Richard Layfield is from Leeds and graduated with an MChem in Chemistry from the city’s university. He did his PhD in main group organometallic chemistry at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Dominic Wright. Following academic appointments in Cambridge and Manchester, Richard was appointed as Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Sussex in 2018.

Research in the Layfield group is concerned with the synthesis, magnetic properties and electronic structure of lanthanide and actinide organometallic compounds. Notable achievements include the discovery and development of the first organometallic single-molecule magnets (SMMs) and the first SMM to function above liquid nitrogen temperatures. He has supervised over 35 graduate students and postdoctoral research fellows, with generous financial support from a variety of sources, including the EU, EPSRC, the Royal Society and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. When not working, Richard 'enjoys' distance running across the South Downs and doing his best to haul his bike up the Ditching Beacon as often as his legs can take it.

Q&A

Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career.

The late Professor Paul O'Brien CBE FRS FREng. Back in 2007, he appointed me to my first permanent academic position in Manchester. Like many others, I miss his insight, wisdom and wit.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

Stay curious, and don't pay too much attention to what people say or think about you. Not having all the answers is OK.

Can you tell us about a scientific development on the horizon that you are excited about?

The advances in diffraction technology never cease to amaze me. On the near horizon, and already in a commercial setting, electron diffraction for determining the structures of nanocrystals is awesome stuff.

Why is chemistry important?

Chemistry comes in handy for overcoming environmental challenges, driving innovation and economic prosperity, and improving quality of life. We'd be in even worse trouble without it.

What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?

Teaching students is a huge privilege, especially when we consider how much they pay to study at university in the UK. Delivery of teaching that draws positive feedback from the students is a big reward.

What has been a challenge for you (either personally or in your career)?

Ensuring a balanced 'workload' can be challenging. It's easy to become overstretched in certain areas at the expense of others, and at the expense of family life. I'm fortunate to have achieved a decent balance in Sussex, which is due to a combination of good people management by the university and access to flexible working. Being able to say 'yes' or 'no' at the right time also helps!

How are the chemical sciences making the world a better place?

If recent world events have reminded us of anything, it's the need to be resilient. The chemical sciences will always be an indispensable part of a resilience strategy at national and global levels, hopefully making us more secure as a society in the process.

Why do you think teamwork is important in science?

How often do we read single-author research articles? Individuals can't excel at everything, and we learn new stuff by collaborating with people from different backgrounds.

What is your favourite element?

It's too obvious to say dysprosium or uranium, so I'll say that my favourite is carbon, mainly because of the weird and wonderful ways it responds to being bound to metals.