Professor Liam Ball - 2024 Organic Chemistry early career Prize: Hickinbottom Prize winner

Professor Liam Ball MRSC

Winner: 2024 Organic Chemistry early career prize: Hickinbottom Prize

University of Nottingham

For the development and mechanistic study of new organic synthesis methods based on pnictogen elements.

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It's an incredible honour to have been awarded the Hickinbottom Prize, and I think it really reflects the huge amount of effort, enthusiasm and innovation that my co-workers bring to the lab every day.

Professor Ball's group invents new reactions and strategies that scientists in industry and academia can use to make the small organic molecules that will underpin our future quality of life. A key aspect of the group's approach is to use a detailed understanding of how reactions happen to design processes that are more sustainable and less costly than existing methods or that give access to molecules that cannot currently be prepared.

Read winner biography

Liam obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Bristol, UK, in 2009. He then enrolled in the first cohort of the Chemical Synthesis CDT at Bristol to investigate homogeneous gold catalysis with Dr Chris Russell and Professor Guy Lloyd-Jones FRS (2009–2013). He moved to the University of Edinburgh as a postdoctoral researcher with Professor Guy Lloyd-Jones FRS in 2014.

Liam was appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham in 2015, followed by Associate Professor in 2022 and Professor in 2024. He currently holds a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship.

Q&A

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

I was always interested in science and technology, but reading Roald Dahl's George's Marvellous Medicine as a child was probably the first time that chemistry (very loosely defined) really caught my imagination.

Why is chemistry important?

The world is made of molecules. Chemists design, make and manipulate molecules. What could be more fundamental to society?

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

A recurrent highlight has been to witness the growth of my co-workers as they develop into creative and independent researchers and then leave to continue on their own personal and professional journeys.

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

Striking the right balance between work and family life.

What does good research culture look like/mean to you?

An environment where co-workers feel comfortable to ask questions, are not afraid to be wrong, and follow their convictions irrespective of external pressures.

Why do you think collaboration and teamwork are important in science?

No one person can be an expert in all aspects of their field, let alone across other fields, so collaboration and teamwork are essential. Interdisciplinary and inter-sector collaborations not only expose you to entirely new concepts and ways of working but also provide solutions you would never reach alone and expose questions you didn't know existed.

Working with a team is also hugely personally enriching and a great opportunity to share the highs and lows of research with others.

What is your favourite element?

‘Surprise!’, which usually manifests when my detailed plan or hypothesis for a new project is blown out of the water in the first few experiments or when a co-worker brings me an entirely unexpected result or observation. In terms of chemical elements, I currently enjoy working with phosphorus, bismuth, nickel, and palladium.

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