Major success as Dr Timothy Easun and Dr Ceri Hammond are awarded Royal Society Fellowships

Major success as Dr Timothy Easun and Dr Ceri Hammond are awarded Royal Society Fellowships

The School of Chemistry is celebrating the successful achievements of Dr Timothy Easun and Dr Ceri Hammond, who have both been awarded prestigious Royal Society University Research Fellowships.

The much sought after Royal Society University Research Fellowships are awarded annually to outstanding young scientists in the early stages of their career. The fellowships are highly competitive and very prestigious, and may be held across all areas of the physical and life sciences. Typically around 500 applications are received annually, with only around 40 fellowships awarded.

Dr Timothy Easun is a recently appointed Cardiff University Research Fellow, having moved from Nottingham in April to set up an independent research group at the School of Chemistry in Cardiff. His group studies the nanoscale diffusion of molecules through porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), specialising in using photophysics and photochemistry to both investigate and control the nanofluidic behaviour of these guest species. His Royal Society University Research Fellowship will exploit MOFs as a platform to enable nanofluidic simulation and experiment to be matched up, offering a detailed understanding of the defects in MOFs that impact their commercial applicability, and opening up new commercial uses for MOFs as nanofluidic devices, with potential applications in healthcare diagnostics and molecular sensing.

On receiving news of the award, Tim said "I am thrilled to have been chosen as one of the recipients of this highly competitive fellowship. The Royal Society have a long history of supporting ambitious and illustrious young scientists and I am honoured to be joining this tradition, thanks in large part to all the people who have mentored and supported me throughout my scientific career to date. The fellowship will enable me to pursue this interdisciplinary and adventurous research with all the necessary support to achieve success, and will underpin the growth of a new field of research with very exciting possibilities in the future."

Dr Ceri Hammond is currently a Chancellor's Research Fellow at Cardiff, and leads an independent research group at the School of Chemistry and the Cardiff Catalysis Institute. His group specializes in several aspects of Catalysis Engineering, including materials design, catalytic process development (energy and chemical production, environmental remediation) and in situ spectroscopic methodologies. His Royal Society University Research Fellowship will focus on several emerging challenges in the area of porous materials, and particularly concerns the application of these novel materials as heterogeneous catalysts and inorganic (nano)therapeutic agents.

Ceri said: "I am delighted to have received the extremely prestigious University Research Fellowship from The Royal Society. The tremendous long-term, flexible support offered by The Royal Society is precisely what I need at this stage of my career, and provides me with the resources required to pursue high-risk, interdisciplinary lines of research. I am extremely grateful to the many people who have supported me over recent years, and who have provided me with the confidence and belief required to undertake this type of challenging research."

Reflecting on the success, Head of School Professor Rudolf Allemann said, "I am absolutely delighted for Ceri and Tim. This is a well-deserved accolade that reflects Ceri and Tim's academic achievements and future potential. The award of two fellowships in the same competition is also a strong endorsement of the School of Chemistry's recruitment strategy that targets high-calibre, early stage academics that will shape the future of our discipline.

Learn more about Royal Society Fellowships.

Learn more about Ceri's research here

Learn more about Tim's research here