Nobel Laureate addresses CCI Conference

Nobel Prize-winning professor Ben Feringa joined a host of luminaries for Cardiff Catalysis Institute’s (CCI) annual conference.

The Netherlands synthetic organic chemist, who specializes in molecular nanotechnology and homogeneous catalysis, gave a keynote speech on Exploring Catalytic Space at the two-day event.

Professor Feringa, awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with J F Stoddart and J-P Sauvage, said: “I was delighted to attend the CCI Conference and was really struck by the quality of early career research on show, the breadth and depth of CCI’s work across the field of catalysis, and the fantastic new TRH facilities in which CCI can grow its ambitious collaborations with industry and wider society in search of Net Zero goals.”

The conference, attended by 120 delegates, also heard from Dr Tetiana Kulik - a Ukrainian professor who is currently working in CCI as part of the British Academy’s Researchers at Risk programme, and joined CCI from the Chuiko Institute of Surface Chemistry at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv.

Dr Kulik said: "I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to speak at this prestigious conference. It is a great honour for me, and I thank Professor Duncan Wass for the kind invitation. Conducting scientific research at Cardiff Catalysis Institute with famous scientists using advanced equipment creates extraordinary opportunities and is realizing my dreams.

“I would have been extremely excited to work with CCI during a peaceful time. Sadly, we are collaborating under the pressure of war. Many thanks to the scientists from Cardiff Catalysis Institute, the School of Chemistry and Cardiff University for helping me to continue my research. And heartfelt thanks to the Welsh Government and the people of Wales for their extraordinary kindness, support, and solidarity with Ukraine!"

The CCI conference is the first to be held in the Translational Research Hub (TRH) – the Institute’s new home on Cardiff Innovation Campus.

TRH is a new bespoke facility, offering laboratories, meeting, and office spaces to foster industry-academic partnerships that drive innovation and the University’s Net Zero goals for the sciences of catalysis and compound semiconductors.

Professor Duncan Wass, Director of Cardiff Catalysis Institute, said: “It was a real pleasure to welcome Professors Feringa and Kulik to our 9^th annual conference – the first to be held in the newly-opened TRH on our innovation campus.”

“It was wonderful for us to be able to host a great line-up of speakers from the UK and around the world and share our excitement about the possibilities for catalysis offered by our fabulous new building.”

CCI unites world class research in heterogeneous, homogeneous and bio-catalysis in a single institute. Established by Cardiff’s School of Chemistry, CCI aims to improve the understanding of catalysis, work with industry to develop new catalytic processes and promote the use of catalysis as a sustainable 21st century technology.