Release Date 19 February 2013

Professor Howard Colquhoun from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Reading has been awarded the Macro Group UK Medal for contributions to polymer science.

The Macro Group UK Medal is awarded annually to a UK based scientist who has made a significant and substantial contribution to the development of polymer science through their scientific achievements and services to the UK polymer science community. Professor Colquhoun will receive a silver medal and be invited to give an award lecture later in the year.

The Pure and Applied Macromolecular Chemistry Group (Macro Group UK) is a joint interest group of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Society of Chemical Industry. One of the responsibilities of Macro Group is to represent the interests of UK polymer scientists at national and international levels.

Polymers are chemical compounds formed by a process known as polymerisation and consist of very large molecules containing of many repeating structural units. Professor Colquhoun is one of the most creative and innovative polymer scientists in the world today. His work has focused mainly on the design, synthesis, and characterisation of specialised polymers for application in the fields of aerospace composites, fuel cells, and water purification membranes.

Professor Colquhoun said �I am very honoured to receive this award, especially as Macro Group UK represents both industry and academia, and my own research has always been directed not only towards the fundamental aspects of polymer science, but also towards real-life applications.�

Professor Steven Howdle, Chair of Macro Group, said �The committee are delighted to award the 2012 Macro Group UK Medal to Professor Colquhoun. His contributions to the development of polymer science in the UK have certainly had a substantial impact, and there is no doubt that he is a worthy recipient of this honour. We look forward to his award lecture later this year.�

Professor Colquhoun received his PhD from the University of London in 1975 and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science of the University of Cambridge in 2008 for his published research in materials chemistry. Awards for his research include the RSC Medal and Prize for Materials Chemistry (2006), the Royal Society Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship (2007) and the Wilsmore Fellowship of the University of Melbourne (2007). He has served on numerous scientific committees and advisory boards, including those of Macro Group UK and the RSC Materials Chemistry Division, and on the organising committees and advisory boards of several recent international conferences. He is currently President of the Materials Chemistry Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2012 - 2015).