Lee Cronin - CV

Long and short versions in PDF format.

Research Summary: My research is motivated by my fascination for complex chemical systems and my desire to construct complex functional molecular architectures that are not based on biologically derived building blocks.  Projects underway in the laboratory are based around functional nanoscale polyoxometalate clusters, complexity and emergent chemical systems, functional self assembly, functional surfaces, non-equilibrium supramolecular assembly, self growing nano and micron-scale structures, dissipative chemical systems, molecular evolution, artificial life / cells, as well as simple organic chemistry, ligand design and coordination chemistry. As part of this work we are constantly utilising many synthetic and analytical techniques.  We are investigating synthesis and self assembly in a purpose built system that allows chemical evolution (not combinatorial chemistry or dynamic equilibrium chemistry).  We are also developing crystallographic techniques that can cope with our protein sized cluster architectures (direct space electron density synthesis) and we are also the first group in the world to apply temperature controlled high resolution electrospray mass spectrometry to look at reaction kinetics and the self assembly of complex inorganic architectures – we have made several key advances that have been internationally recognised and I also won a 2007 Leverhulme Prize for our work in self assembly of functional nanoscale polyoxometalate clusters.  The research group in 2007-2008 will be composed of 15 PhD students, 8 post doctoral researchers and 4 masters / project students. 

Publications and Seminars :  Almost 120 contributions have been published, with over 90 primary peer reviewed papers as the corresponding author.  19 papers were published in 2007, 20 in 2006, 17 in 2005, 14 in 2004, 7 in 2003. Over 70 seminars have been presented to Departments, conferences and companies around the word.

Positions

March 2006-2011 EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow
February 2006 -  Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow
February 2005 -  Reader in Chemistry at the University of Glasgow
August 2002 - Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Glasgow
September 2000 - Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Birmingham
August 1999-2000 Alexander von Humboldt research fellow in University Bielefeld
July-Sept1998-   MONBUSHO research fellow at the Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkadio University, Sapporo, Japan.
October 1997-  Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. Working in the group of Dr. Neil Robertson on the design, synthesis, characterisation and application of new ligands and complexes as ion-sensors and molecular arrays exhibiting conducting, magnetic and ion-channels and electrochemical activity.

Prizes & Awards 

2007 Philip Leverhulme Prize (£70,000)
2007 Morino Foundation Lectures (invited lectures in Japan, 2008)
2006 Visiting Professor, University of Versailles, France, 2006
2006 Nexxus young scientist 2006 award
2006 Finalist and winner (silver medal) of the Young European Chemists Award
2005 Award of an EPSRC Advanced Fellowship
2004 Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept Award 2004
2003 British Council Science Award
1999-2001 Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship
1996 ICI Scientists Scholarship
1996 European Science Foundation Grant to attend ECIS VI
1993 The Proctor & Gamble prize in Chemistry (awarded to the best undergraduate)
1993 The Whinfield Project Award for Chemistry (award for original research ideas)

Education

Oct 1994-Sept 1997 DPhil. Project title: "Ligand Design: New Small Molecule Models for Carbonic University of York Anhydrase"
York, UK.Viva, December 19th 1997.  Supervisor Prof. Paul. H. Walton
Oct 1991-July 1994 BSc. (Hons) in Chemistry, First Class.University of York, Final year research project: "Laser Flash Photolysis and Photo-products of York, UK. Ruthenium Hydride and Carbonyl Complexes." Supervisor Prof. Robin Perutz.

 

Public Understanding of Science: I am active in promoting science, in particular chemistry to the public – particularly school children and these activities have taken many forms.  For example, in October 2006, April 2005 and September 2003 I gave lectures on nanotechnology and self assembly to school children at science-super-highs-schools in Japan. Also, in December 2002 I gave the Royal Society of Chemistry Edinburgh Christmas Lectures (3 lectures over two days to around 1500 14-16 year old children).   In Birmingham a complete chemistry ‘lecture’ and interactive demonstrations were written and designed to be preformed by dedicated personnel at the new Birmingham ‘Think-Tank’ museum and many lectures were presented to school children. 

Prof. Lee Cronin
University of Glasgow
Department of Chemistry
Joseph Black Building
Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
Phone:             + 44 (0)141 330 6650       
Fax: + 44 (0)141 330 4888
L.Cronin@chem.gla.ac.uk