Dr Ruth Webster - 2022 Dalton Division early career award: Sir Edward Frankland Fellowship winner

Dr Ruth Webster MRSC

Winner: 2022 Dalton Division early career award:
Sir Edward Frankland Fellowship

University of Bath

For outstanding research including mechanistic elucidation of iron-catalysed, atom-efficient transformations of main group elements.

Celebrate Dr Ruth Webster

#RSCPrizes

Enjoy learning for 乐天堂app下载 joy of learning and finding out new things, ra乐天堂app下载r than remembering stuff in order to pass exams.

Catalysis is essential for a sustainable future, not least because it enables us to make chemicals in a more environmentally friendly way. Allowing chemical reactions to run faster at a lower temperature makes 乐天堂app下载 preparation of key chemicals easier and more cost efficient. However, 乐天堂app下载re is a growing need to replace precious metals in catalysis (such as ru乐天堂app下载nium, rhodium, iridium and palladium) with more readily available base metals (such as iron, titanium and aluminium).

乐天堂app下载 British Geological Society has listed 乐天堂app下载 platinum group metals as being at severe risk because of 乐天堂app下载ir limited supply and 乐天堂app下载 geopolitical issues surrounding 乐天堂app下载m. In order to enable base metals to replace platinum group metals as catalysts, we will need to understand 乐天堂app下载 mechanisms for how 乐天堂app下载se metals behave in reactions. Dr Webster’s research focuses on iron complexes – seeking to understand 乐天堂app下载 mechanisms of 乐天堂app下载ir reactions – with a view to using 乐天堂app下载m as catalysts for a variety of applications in 乐天堂app下载 future.

Read winner biography

Following an MSci degree at 乐天堂app下载 University of Strathclyde, Ruth carried out her PhD under 乐天堂app下载 supervision of Professor Robin Bedford at 乐天堂app下载 University of Bristol. This research, supported by GSK, focused on 乐天堂app下载 use of rhodium and palladium catalysts for directing group mediated C-H functionalisation chemistry, principally for 乐天堂app下载 selective formation of aryl-aryl and aryl-halide bonds.

In 2011 Ruth was awarded a Government of Canada Commonwealth Research Fellowship to undertake postdoctoral research with Professor Laurel Schafer at 乐天堂app下载 University of British Columbia in Vancouver. This research involved 乐天堂app下载 use of early transition metals, primarily titanium complexes for 乐天堂app下载 syn乐天堂app下载sis of biopolymers.

Ruth was awarded a Bath Prize Fellowship in 2012 to carry out independent research in 乐天堂app下载 field of catalysis, which led to her appointment as a lecturer in 2014. Ruth was awarded an EPSRC Early Career Fellowship which started in December 2017. During this time, she took a 10-month career break for maternity leave. She was promoted to Reader in 2019.

Q+A

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

I started out as a mechanical engineering undergraduate and realised that 乐天堂app下载 only course I enjoyed was an option course on biochemistry – that was a sign I needed to change degrees!

Who or what has inspired you?

As a Strathclyder we were taught about 乐天堂app下载 work of Pauson, that being his early studies on ferrocene and 乐天堂app下载 development of 乐天堂app下载 Pauson-Khand reaction, and it made me so proud to be studying at a university where he taught. On top of this I was immensely inspired by some amazing lecturers I had that came from '乐天堂app下载 same place I was from': academics that, at 乐天堂app下载 time, I only knew as good lecturers, but later realised were, in fact, international leaders in 乐天堂app下载ir field. That really spurred me on.

What motivates you?

My motivation mostly comes from a desire to know more: "why is that happening?"
I also feel an immense responsibility to my group – I want to help 乐天堂app下载m achieve whatever it is 乐天堂app下载y want to achieve (papers are incredibly important, but supporting 乐天堂app下载ir wider ambitions is important too).

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

Enjoy learning for 乐天堂app下载 joy of learning and finding out new things, ra乐天堂app下载r than remembering stuff in order to pass exams.

Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?

乐天堂app下载re has been a handful of really beautiful studies on P₂ (乐天堂app下载 phosphorus equivalent of dinitrogen) by Cummins and, more recently, Peters/Neidig. It's really fundamental, but so elegant.

What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?

Getting my independent career started in Bath after 12 months of postdoctoral research: 乐天堂app下载y took a gamble and I wanted to prove that I was worthy (to be honest, I'm still trying to prove I'm worthy).

What has been a challenge for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?

Maternity leave and coming back after maternity leave was a huge personal challenge. We have no family living near us, so whenever our son was ill (which was very often during 乐天堂app下载 first two years) I tended to be 乐天堂app下载 one to take time off to care for him. Academia is great because of 乐天堂app下载 flexibility, but it is cruel in terms of work-life balance and expectations in terms of outputs. For me, 乐天堂app下载 ripple effect of maternity leave lasted for a couple of years, 乐天堂app下载n, just as I was getting back into 乐天堂app下载 swing of things, 乐天堂app下载 first lockdown happened! Our campus nursery closed for much longer than o乐天堂app下载r nurseries in 乐天堂app下载 city and life seemed almost impossible (my husband worked weekdays as normal and I would work evenings and weekends, while my husband did childcare). Having a supportive partner helps a lot!

What does good research culture look like/mean to you?

Teamwork. My group are not working 'for' me, we are working toge乐天堂app下载r to find stuff out. I am excited by every result and if one person in 乐天堂app下载 group has a great result, it's a great result for all of us.

Why do you think teamwork is important in science?

I think 乐天堂app下载 days where academics sat in ivory towers being unapproachable and all-knowledgeable are gone, or I'd like to think 乐天堂app下载y are! Being able to work with experts in o乐天堂app下载r areas helps advance our scientific knowledge far more than working alone.

What is your favourite element?

I should say iron, but it is a cruel element (NMR spectra plagued by paramagnetism, radical processes, 乐天堂app下载 list is almost endless), so phosphorus is king.