Funding success will enable Roving Researcher scheme expansion
Courtesey of the School of the Biological Sciences at the University of Cambridge.
The School of Biological Sciences has secured funding from the UKRI EPSRC EDI Hub+ to support a 12-month pilot expansion of the Roving Researcher Scheme to physical sciences disciplines across the University of Cambridge. In partnership with the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry and the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, this initiative will provide opportunities to test and adapt our successful model in a diverse range of fields and team structures.
Dr Benjamin Shi Wins Major International Awards for Computational Chemistry Research
Image: courtesy of Dr Benjamin Shi.
Dr Benjamin Shi, a former PhD student in the Department, has been honoured with a remarkable series of international awards recognising the excellence of his doctoral research.
Professor Eric Jacobsen Delivers 2025 MSD Lectureship
Image credit: Michael Webb, Photography and Reprographics, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry.
On 8–9 December 2025, the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry hosted the Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Lectureship, featuring Professor Eric Jacobsen from Harvard University, a world-leading researcher in enantioselective catalysis. The lectureship programme and symposium were organized and led by Professor Matthew Gaunt and included a supporting lecture by Dr Izzat Raheem of Merck US (MSD).
Researchers from Cambridge and UT Southwestern have, for the first time, visualised molecules inside chromatin droplets, revealing how these structures organise and support cell function.
We are delighted to host Professor Manos Mavrikakis from the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as the John Wilfrid Linnett Visiting Professor of Chemistry.
Researchers at the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research reveal how electric fields transform water chemistry, enhancing reaction rates and rearranging molecular structures at the atomic level.
Professor Alex Forse awarded 2025 Philip Leverhulme Prize
The Forse Group. Image: Alexander Forse courtesy.
Professor Alex Forse has been awarded a 2025 Philip Leverhulme Prize, recognising the outstanding work of the Forse Group in developing innovative materials to tackle climate change.
Researchers at the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Cambridge, have made a major breakthrough in the fight against climate change published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Breakthrough Imaging Reveals Parkinson’s Protein Clusters in the Brain
The image shows alpha synuclein oligomers (yellow) inside microglia, the immune cells of the brain. These structures have long been hypothesised to exist but not previously directly observed in Parkinson’s disease. Photo credits: TheLeeLab
For the first time, scientists have directly visualised and measured the tiny protein clusters, called alpha-synuclein oligomers, thought to trigger Parkinson’s disease in human brain tissue.
Professor Oren Scherman’s research group at the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, has developed a material that can detect subtle changes in the body, such as an arthritis flare-up, and release drugs exactly where and when they are needed.
The Duer group have found a way to stop brain cancer cells spreading by essentially ‘freezing’ a key molecule in the brain. The finding could pave the way for a new type of treatment for glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer.
Recent research has unveiled a new mechanism that explains how carbon dioxide (CO₂) can react directly at water’s surface instead of fully dissolving first. This finding has significant implications for our understanding of ocean acidification.
