Richard Catlow
British chemist
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Sir Charles Richard Arthur Catlow FRS FRSC FInstP FLSW (born 24 April 1947) is a British chemist and professor at University College London and Cardiff University.[6][3][7][8][9] Previously, he was Director of the Davy-Faraday Research Laboratory (1998–2007),[10] and Wolfson Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Royal Institution.[1][11] Since 2016, he has served as the foreign secretary of the Royal Society.,[12][13][14][15] and since 2021 as President of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP).[16]
24 April 1947[1]
Royal Institution
Sir Richard Catlow | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles Richard Arthur Catlow 24 April 1947[1] Simonstone, Lancashire,[2] England |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford (BA, DPhil) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry Physics Materials Science Crystallography Computational science[3] |
| Institutions | University College London Royal Institution |
| Thesis | Defect structures in fluorite crystals (1973) |
| Doctoral advisor | Alan Lidiard[4] |
| Doctoral students | Robin Grimes,[5] Saiful Islam |
| Website | profiles |
Education
He earned a Bachelor of Arts honours degree in 1970 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1974, from St John's College, University of Oxford.[4][17]
Career and research
Catlow has developed and applied computer models to solid state and materials chemistry.[15] By combining his computational methods with experiments, Catlow has made contributions to areas as diverse as catalysis and mineralogy.[15]
His approach has advanced understanding of how defects (missing or extra atoms) in the structure of solids can result in non-stoichiometric compounds.[15] Such compounds have special electrical or chemical properties since their contributing elements are present in slightly different proportions to those predicted by chemical formulae.[15]
Catlow's work has offered insight into mechanisms of industrial catalysts, especially involving microporous materials and metal oxides.[15] In structural chemistry and mineralogy, simulation methods are now routinely used to predict the structures of complex solids and silicates respectively, following Catlow's demonstrations of their power.[15]
Awards and honours
In December 2014, Catlow was the winner of the Gerhard Ertl Lecture at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin.[18] He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2004[1] and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC).[when?] In 2017, Catlow was elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.[19] In 2020, he was awarded the Faraday Lectureship Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry.[20] Catlow was knighted in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to leadership in science and research.[21][22]
Catlow was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science (Dsc) by the University of Bath in July 2022.[23] The award recognised the ever-growing impact of Catlow's research, 'particularly in the context of the global challenge of climate change.'[23]
