(Professor Jon Preece, Head of the School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham)

I am the head of School in the Chemistry Department at the University of Birmingham, and  Professor of Nanoscale Chemistry. My work is focused on the interdisciplinary nature of nanoscale chemistry, including nanostructuring surfaces via the integration of top-down and bottom-up methodologies, gene delivery based on polycations, nanotribology, liquid crystals and nanoscale electronics.

I began my academic research career in the Group of nobel prize winner Professor J Fraser Stoddart (Birmingham, 1991-1994) carrying out research in the area of supramolecular chemistry, with particular interest in the design, synthesis and characterisation of materials which could be switched between different states.

Professor J Fraser Stoddard came to Birmingham to give a lecture, following his Nobel Prize, in Winter 2016. To this lecture click here.

This interest in materials chemistry led me to join the Research Group of Professor Helmut Ringsdorf for a period of two years (1995-1996) where I gained experience in aspects of materials surface science.

Currently, the my research group carries out research in the area of nanoscale materials science. For example, new nanoscale-materials (i) for electron beam resists, (ii) for the assembly of inorganic/organic hybrid nanoparticles with novel electro-optic, structural and medicinal properties (gene delivery), (iii) for liquid crystals, and (iv) for surfaces used in technological applications.

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