Many congratulations to the SERC colleagues who have been successful in the latest Higher Academic Awards appointments.

Associate Professor and Professor are highly prestigious titles and the most senior designations bestowed by the University in recognition of excellence in the individual’s subject area. 

Christian Laycock

Christian Laycock has been conferred the title of Associate Professor in Sustainable Chemistry. Christian’s work falls within two main interests: green electrochemistry which seeks to improve the sustainability of existing industrial processes, and advanced soil conditioner research.

His research in green electrochemistry focusses on the efficient and clean recovery of useful products from industrial waste and by-product streams using solid oxide cell devices and zinc-bromine battery technology. Dr Laycock is currently working on the ERDF-funded FLEXIS and RICE projects to investigate the utilisation and recovery of hydrogen, ammonia and zinc from steelmaking waste streams. 

He has also developed an advanced silicon-digestate fertiliser and soil conditioner which has the potential to alleviate dependence on mineral (synthetic) fertilisers, while also producing excellent crop yields. 

He was the principal investigator for an ERDF-funded FLEXISApp project into the development of silicon-digestate fertilisers and presently, his research in this area aims to establish the fundamental science, environmental benefits and commercial viability of these materials.

Dr Laycock is currently director of studies for four PhD projects and one Masters by Research project. In addition, he teaches in areas informed by his research on the MSc Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology where he leads the Industrial Resource Recovery module and supervises dissertation project students.

Gareth Owen

Gareth Owen has been conferred the title of Professor in Inorganic Chemistry. Gareth’s work sits within the development and application of new catalytic systems, seeking ways to reduce their environmental impact as well as developing novel sustainable chemistry which can address future energy challenges.

He has various ongoing research projects focusing on transforming CO2 into valuable chemicals, the development of hydrogen storage materials and the valorisation of industrial wastes.

Professor Owen has been awarded a number of prestigious fellowships throughout his career including an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship (Germany), a Ramsay Memorial Research Fellowship (Bristol), a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship (Bristol) and an Organometallic Fellowship prize from the American Chemical Society. 

Professor Owen has published 60 research outputs made up of research articles, reviews and book chapters. He has successfully generated a funding portfolio in excess of £2M to date. He maintains an active international research group consisting of Senior Research Staff, Postdoctoral Researchers and Research Students from Brazil, India, Palestine, Zimbabwe, Czech Republic and across the UK. 

Professor Owen teaches on a range of inorganic chemistry topics focusing on sustainable chemistry and has supervised over 50 student research projects (UG/PG)