Professor James Durrant, Director of the CPE and Professor of Photochemistry in the Department of Chemistry, and Professor Mary Ryan, Professor of Materials Science and Nanotechnology and Vice-Dean for Research in the Faculty of Engineering, have been awarded CBEs in the Jubilee Honors List.

Professor James Durrant CBE

James Durrant, Professor of Photochemistry in the Department of Chemistry, is awarded a CBE for services to photochemistry and solar energy research.

Professor Durrant’s work focuses on a key scientific challenge for the 21st century: the development of renewable, low-cost energy technologies. His group tackles this through the development of new chemical approaches to solar energy conversion – harnessing the Sun’s energy either to produce electricity (photovoltaics, like solar panels) or molecular fuels (such as hydrogen), as well as the related challenge of electrocatalytic fuel synthesis.

His team combines fundamental optical studies into light-driven reactions with materials and device design, to create design principles that help guide technological development.

Professor Durrant is Director of Imperial College's Centre of Excellence for Processable Electronics, and was founding director of the UK's Solar Fuels Network. He also collaborates with industry, leading the Sêr Cymru Solar Initiative and EPSRC programme grant ATIP based at the SPECIFIC IKC, Swansea University. He is also the UK lead for the Mission Innovation Challenge on Converting Sunlight (IC5), which brings together governments, academics and the private sector through a global initiative to discover affordable ways to convert sunlight into storable solar fuels.

Professor Durrant said: “I am very honoured to receive this award. Research is a team effort, and I would like to thank the many wonderful people I have worked with during my career on photochemistry and solar energy research.”

Professor Mary Ryan CBE

Mary Ryan, who receives a CBE for services to Education and to Materials Science and Engineering, is a Professor of Materials Science and Nanotechnology at Imperial, where she holds the Armourers and Brasiers’ Chair in Materials Science.

Professor Ryan is also Interim Vice-Provost for Research and Enterprise. She is responsible for developing and providing leadership around the delivery of the College’s research and enterprise strategy, and for enhancing the quality, impact, management and delivery of Imperial’s research.

In addition, she leads several pioneering initiatives, including the College’s sustainability programme Transition to Zero Pollution.

Her research spans diverse areas including energy materials (batteries, magnetocaloric cooling devices, photovoltaics, fuel cells and catalysis), nanomaterials for biosensors and therapies, the mechanisms associated with nanostructures that lead to human and environmental toxicity, and the potential of nanomaterials to remedy environmental damage - in particular for nuclear waste. She was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2015 and is also a Fellow of IoM3 and of the Institute of Corrosion.

Professor Ryan said: "This recognition is a huge honour and a testament to the amazing group of students and researchers I have worked with at Imperial and elsewhere.”

Dr Kim Jelfs has been named a laureate in the 2022 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK.

Five CPE academics made the 2019 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers List, Aron Walsh, James Durrant, Jenny Nelson, Magda Titirici and Iain McCulloch.

Prof Molly Stevens and Prof Iain McCulloch join Prof Jenny Nelson and Prof James Durrant as FRS after being elected Fellows of the Royal Society in recognition of their "contributions to science, both in fundamental research resulting in greater understanding, and also in leading and directing scientific and technological progress in industry and research establishments."

Prof Martin Heeney, Royal Society of Chemistry 2020 Peter Day Award, for his pioneering contributions to solution processed organic semiconductors, particularly heavy main group containing polymers, and their device applications.

Prof Iain McCulloch, Royal Society of Chemistry 2020 Interdisciplinary Prize, for advances in the design, synthesis and innovative application of functional materials in optics, electronics and energy.

Dr Nicola Gasparini named World Economic Forum Young Scientist for his record of research excellence and commitment to serve society at large through exceptional contribution in 2020.

Dr Firat Güder awarded Imperial College’s 2020 President’s Medal as an outstanding early career researcher.

Prof Matthew Fuchter Finalist in Chemistry Category in 2020 Annual Blavatnik Awards Matt was recognised for his work on “The synthesis and study of novel functional systems for use in a range of applications from novel electronic materials to therapeutic agents.”

Prof Molly Stevens was awarded the 2018 Franklin Medal and Prize for her contributions to ground-breaking and influential advances in the engineering of bioinspired materials for regenerative medicine and biosensing applications. Additional congratulations go to Molly Stevens, who has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering for her contributions to tissue regeneration and biosensing. Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.

Dr Kim Jelfs was awarded the RSC Harrison-Meldola Memorial Prize in 2018 for the most meritorious and promising original investigations in chemistry and published results of those investigations.

Prof James Durrant received the Royal Society Hughes Medal in 2018 for his distinguished photochemical studies for the design of solar energy devices.