Regius Professor elected Honorary Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society
14 November 2023
Professor Graham Hutchings CBE FREng FRS has been elected Honorary Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) in recognition of his “significant contributions to the advancement of chemistry”.
An international expert in catalysis, Professor Hutchings is the recipient of the highest honour the Chinese Chemical Society bestows on an individual.
Professor Hutchings founded the world-renowned Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI) and his research led to a cleaner method for producing polyvinyl chloride using gold as a catalyst, rather than harmful mercury. This led to a huge leap forward for greater environmental protection by chemical industries worldwide.
His work with internationally-leading partners in fields such as the automotive, fuel and chemical manufacturing industries has helped translate research into chemical engineering applications all over the world.
The Chinese Chemical Society is China’s national academy for pre-eminent chemists, with only ten International Fellowships awarded every year.
Professor Hutchings said: “It is a great honour to have my research recognised in this way; over the years I have established close links with Chinese research groups and I look forward to my joint research continuing into the future”.
In the letter of appointment, Professor Lijun Wan, CCS President, said: “Accepting the Honorary Fellowship is an honour that recognises Professor Hutchings’ international academic reputation. It is also a prestigious acknowledgement of his eminent contribution to chemistry in China”.
The accolade follows Professor Hutchings’ recent appointment as Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the UK’s national academy of engineering. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society and was awarded a CBE in 2018 for his pioneering research into heterogenous catalysis.
The CCI is based in Cardiff University’s state-of-the-art Translational Research Hub - bringing industry and scientists together to solve complex global challenges – and houses the University’s new Max Planck Centre on the Fundamentals of Heterogeneous Catalysis (FUNCAT).
