Professor Magdalena Titirici, who works at Queen Mary University of London, is the Royal Society of Chemistry Corday-Morgan Prize winner for 2018. Professor Titirici’s research group mimics the natural process of carbon formation in the lab – a process that takes millions of years in Nature. The resulting carbon is then used to build sustainable energy technologies such as batteries and fuel cells. They use biowaste as a starting material, making the process sustainable.

She said: “I am very honoured and thrilled to have been selected to receive the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Corday Morgan Prize 2018. My group creates new chemistries and advanced materials from waste streams and demonstrates that they can outperform currently existing scarce materials in renewable energy technologies so that we can create a sustainable future. The credit goes to the amazingly talented students, postdocs and collaborators who worked and are currently working with me to bring our science closer and closer to the reality. I would like to thank all of them very much for all the trust and support so far.”

The Corday-Morgan Prize is awarded for the production of low-cost biomass derived nanostructured carbons in water and their impact in renewable energy technologies. Professor Titirici receives £5000 and a medal, and will complete a UK lecture tour.

Dr Robert Parker, chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry said:
“The chemical sciences are vital for the wellbeing of our world and chemical scientists help to change people’s lives for the better. That’s why we’re so proud to celebrate the innovation and expertise of our community through our Prizes and Awards.
“This year’s inspiring and influential winners come from a range of specialisms, backgrounds, countries and communities. Each has done their bit to advance excellence in the chemical sciences – to improve the lives of people around the world now and in the future.”

The winners are recognised for the originality and impact of their research, or for their contributions to the chemical sciences industry or chemistry education. The Awards also acknowledge the importance of teamwork across the chemical sciences, and the abilities of individuals to develop successful collaborations.

An illustrious list of 50 previous winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Awards have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their pioneering work, including 2016 Nobel laureates Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Fraser Stoddart and Ben Feringa.