Introduction to our Research

The School of Applied Sciences hosts vibrant research groups in both the Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences and the Department of Logistics and Hospitality Management. Persons interested in enrolling for a postgraduate research degree are asked to contact Prof Rob Brown, Director of Graduate Education, in the first instance or see more information about Postgraduate Research .

Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences

The Research Environment

Our research is thriving and expanding, and in several areas is class-leading. Since 2002 over £3M has been invested directly by the University in instrumentation and facilities. In addition, three rounds of SRIF have contributed over £1.5M (50% of the University's allocation) to the Department. In 2007 a further £1M was allocated to promote research, part of which has been used to create five new academic posts. The new appointees are all early career chemists appointed on the basis of their research records and potential for contributing to research growth. This expansion of the Department and influx of new blood will ensure continued vitality in research. In 2008 Professor Bob Cywinski was appointed Research Professor in the School. Bob is a condensed matter physicist but has wide interests and, as well as running his own research programme, is establishing collaborative projects with several staff.

The Department employs 40 full-time academic staff, including six professors and four readers, supported by 18 technical staff. In addition there are five visiting professors from industry and academia. There are 40 full-time and 11 part-time research students registered for PhD and seven postdoctoral research assistants.

The undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including a very successful taught MSc course in Analytical Chemistry, are flourishing and provide a substantial pool of potential research students. Huddersfield is one of the largest chemistry departments for undergraduates in the country, graduating about 100 honours chemists each year.

Much of our research is co-ordinated through our Research Centres, The Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, the Materials and Catalysis Research Centre, and the Forensic and Analytical Research Centre with considerable overlap in activities between them. These Centres ensure that staff and research students work in beneficially large groups in which a buoyant research culture flourishes. The strategy for developing and promoting research is to concentrate on selected fields in which we can operate with a critical mass of staff and research workers, and to support and grow our work in these areas.

The two Centres occupy well-equipped and extensively refurbished laboratories. There are specialist laboratories for: synthetic chemistry (organic and inorganic), catalytic testing, thermal analysis and calorimetry (four labs), kinetic measurements, chromatography, adsorption studies, NMR (up to 500 MHz ), MS (incl. LC-MS/MS spectrometers with q-ToF & Ion Trap), SEM, powder XRD, EPR, analytical spectroscopy and analytical electrochemistry. Dedicated technicians are responsible for each of these labs, with PhD level technical staff running the chromatography, NMR and MS laboratories. As part of their activities, the Centres run weekly seminar programmes and these are supported by a Departmental Research Seminar series.

In 2007 a new Research Grouping was formed, Innovative Physical Organic Solutions (IPOS). This is led by Visiting Professor John Atherton and Professor Mike Page, and is engaged in research on behalf of the chemical and related industries.