Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford

28/05/2026

🔬Technical staff play a critical part in research and innovation.

Great to see University of Oxford colleagues Dr John Walsby-Tickle and Prof James McCullagh featured in the UK Institute for Technical Skills & Strategy's new Technical Careers Resource Hub, highlighting the impact and expertise technical professionals bring across higher education and research.

Watch the video and explore the resource hub here:

Discover tools and guides to position technical staff as valued partners in higher education and research from the Technical Careers Resource Hub.

22/05/2026

Why are PFASs so hard to replace?

Read about Professor Véronique Gouverneur and her team’s pioneering work in fluorine chemistry, which has been featured in Nature this week:

As the toxic legacy of ‘forever chemicals’ grows, researchers are racing to develop safer alternatives.

13/05/2026

🧩 Problem solving and spatial awareness go beyond the lab...

Congratulations to DPhil student Eirik Moen Liane from the Kirrander Group, who recently finished in the Top 100 at the inaugural Speed Puzzle World Series in Munich.

The international jigsaw puzzling competition featured six timed rounds, with competitors racing to complete a series of 500-piece puzzles — including a “mystery challenge” assembled without a reference image.

Eirik placed 74th overall, completing all six rounds in a combined time of 5 hours, 32 minutes and 42 seconds. Congratulations, Eirik!

30/04/2026

♻️ Turning CO₂ into sustainable plastics, more efficiently

Researchers from Oxford Chemistry have published today in Nature Chemistry a new predictive method to optimise catalysts for CO₂-based polymer production at lower pressures. Their methods apply generally to many of the best catalysts already published in the field.

"It is incredibly exciting to think that the work you do on a lab scale could be used to advance sustainability targets" – PhD student and first author Rosie Thorogood

Read more:

One promising route to more sustainable plastic production is the ring-opening copolymerisation (ROCOP) of carbon dioxide with epoxides to produce polycarbonates. This method transforms CO2 – an abundant, low-cost C1 feedstock – into value-added polymers and materials. Current catalysts for this...

22/04/2026

Congratulations to Dr Xhoela Bame, who has been named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe (Science & Healthcare).

A Novo Nordisk Oxford Fellow in our department, her research is advancing new ways to understand and repair cellular damage, with applications in neurodegeneration and cardiovascular disease.

https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2026/europe/science-healthcare

Redefining the way we eat, drink and think about consumption.

21/04/2026

“It has been great for meeting people in research groups that I wouldn’t routinely connect with any other way.”

Oxford Chemistry’s choir, the Keytones, featured in Chemistry World last week.

Bringing students, researchers and staff together for weekly lunchtime rehearsals, it helps build connections across the department through music.

A reminder that collaboration in science starts with community!

Read more:

There are many benefits to participating in extracurricular activities with colleagues

20/04/2026

Professor Claire Vallance from Oxford Chemistry will be speaking in London at this year’s Pint of Science festival, with a talk on “Minuscule Mysteries” on 19 May.

From the chemistry of interstellar space to the molecules that shape our universe, it’s an accessible way to engage with some fascinating science!

The festival runs 18–20 May across the UK, with events taking place in cities nationwide, so there’s likely something happening near you.

Find out more and book: https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/minuscule-mysteries/

What are the Universe's building blocks? What are they made of? Both fundamental and exotic particles and molecules are known to make up our Universe and c…

07/04/2026

Delighted to share that Prof Dermot O’Hare has been shortlisted for the University of Oxford’s Vice-Chancellor’s Awards with SCGC-FIRST.

SCGC-FIRST has been recognised in the Collaboration for Innovation Award, celebrating research-led innovation with external partners.

This shortlisting highlights the power of collaborative, impact-driven chemistry research within the Department of Chemistry and across the MPLS Division.

The winners and highly commended nominees will be announced at a special ceremony hosted by the Vice-Chancellor at the new Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities on Thursday 4 June.

Read more about the awards and full shortlist:

A series of awards to recognise the achievements of staff in a range of areas

30/03/2026

King Charles III visited OXCCU, an Oxford Chemistry spin-out developing technologies to convert carbon dioxide into sustainable aviation fuel.

During the visit, His Majesty met the team and saw a live demonstration of e-fuel production.

Read more: www.chem.ox.ac.uk/article/king-charles-iii-visits-university-spin-out-oxccu?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=137

23/03/2026

How do we better understand the true complexity of proteins?

Oxford Chemistry researchers report a new method that combines multiple mass spectrometry fragmentation techniques with deep learning, enabling improved detection of post-translational modifications that can be linked to disease.

Explore the research:

Proteomics – the large-scale study of proteins, and how they interact – underpins modern biology and medicine. Mass spectrometry, an analytical technique that identifies protein sequences through breaking peptide chains into smaller segments and analysing their mass, allows scientists to determi...

19/03/2026

Researchers from the University of Oxford have developed the first peptide-based catalysts for asymmetric nucleophilic fluorination reactions.

Published recently in JACS, this study offers insight into how molecular shape affects fluoride anion recognition – knowledge that can be applied in catalysis and other fields.

Read more:

Researchers from the University of Oxford have developed the first peptide-based catalysts for asymmetric nucleophilic fluorination reactions.