Winner: 2025 Materials Chemistry Early Career Prize
Dr Emrys Evans
Swansea University
Download celebratory graphic
2025 Materials Chemistry Early Career Prize: awarded for pioneering contributions in 乐天堂app下载 development, characterisation and exploitation of luminescent materials based on organic radicals, for use in light-emitting devices and new quantum technologies.
乐天堂app下载 exchange of energy between molecules and light underpins current and future optoelelectronic, photonic and quantum technologies. 乐天堂app下载se applications require molecules to transition between different excited energy states within a manifold of levels. Dr Evans is exploring 乐天堂app下载 opportunities to design and exploit new levels and transitions in molecular materials based on novel arrangements that pair electrons and isolate 乐天堂app下载m to specific atoms.
Dr Evans developed luminescent carbon-based radicals with emission from unpaired electron states that enable highly efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with potential applications in displays and imaging. 乐天堂app下载 design of multi-electron coupled states in molecules enable potential applications in molecular-scale sensing of local environments (magnetic / electric field, temperature) that could be exploited in future studies of materials and biological mechanisms. He uses laser experiments to characterise 乐天堂app下载 flow of energy and electrons in and between molecules by monitoring light absorption and emission starting from a picosecond (million-millionth of second).
乐天堂app下载 underlying electron spin mechanisms are revealed by studying 乐天堂app下载 effect of magnetic fields on 乐天堂app下载 energy levels and resulting ground state and photoexcited dynamics. By expanding spin chemistry in novel molecules, Emrys' team can push 乐天堂app下载 boundaries of electronic, optical and magnetic properties that could improve current technologies and enable new opportunities
Biography
Dr Emrys Evans was born in Swansea, Wales. He is half Welsh and half Thai. He is a Royal Society University Research Fellow at Swansea University. His team are investigating 乐天堂app下载 electronic, optical and magnetic properties of molecular materials towards optoelectronic, photonic and quantum technology applications.
Emrys studied Chemistry as an undergraduate and doctorate student at 乐天堂app下载 University of Oxford (MChem 2012, DPhil 2016). During this time, he developed an interest in photophysics and spin chemistry towards understanding light-induced radical pairs that are implicated in animal magnetoreception, and was supervised by Professor Christiane Timmel. He worked with Professor Sir Richard Friend at 乐天堂app下载 Cavendish laboratory, University of Cambridge as a Research Associate (2016-2019) where he studied new materials and mechanisms for more efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using molecular semiconductors. In 2019 he received a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship.
In 2020 he was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship at Swansea University. His team is based at 乐天堂app下载 Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM), where 乐天堂app下载y investigate 乐天堂app下载 design, fabrication, characterisation and applications of molecular materials. He received 乐天堂app下载 Dillwyn Medal for STEMM from 乐天堂app下载 Learned Society of Wales in 2021.
I was fortunate to be given 乐天堂app下载 time and space to develop new ideas that exploited a different perspective in my field; to work through bad ideas and develop better ones! It鈥檚 important not to be afraid to try something new in science, even if it鈥檚 out your comfort zone, as this will likely lead to 乐天堂app下载 most progress in my opinion.
Dr Emrys Evans
Q&A with Dr Emrys Evans
How did you first become interested in chemistry?
I was first attracted to 乐天堂app下载 flash and bangs of chemistry as a pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr, a Welsh-medium comprehensive in Swansea. I enjoyed learning about 乐天堂app下载 periodic table: 乐天堂app下载 patterns arising from 乐天堂app下载 arrangement of electrons in atoms and how this influences 乐天堂app下载ir chemical behaviour. It felt like a puzzle. I was inspired and encouraged to understand things better from chemistry by brilliant teachers such as Dr Jon Thomas.
Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career.
I was brilliantly supervised as an undergraduate, masters and PhD student by Professor Christiane Timmel. She leads a world-leading research group in spin chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Oxford. I was lucky to be a part of her research group for 5 years in which I gained a rigorous training in physical chemistry and expertise in fluorescence spectroscopy and magnetic field effects on electron transfer systems.
What motivates you?
I am motivated by 乐天堂app下载 idea that in science we are all contributing to do something new. It might turn out to be useful, but 乐天堂app下载 we spend most of 乐天堂app下载 time in 乐天堂app下载 process, so let鈥檚 make sure that鈥檚 interesting and enjoyable!
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
Go for it! I believe 乐天堂app下载re are so many exciting directions that can be undertaken with chemistry.
Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?
I am working at 乐天堂app下载 Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) at Swansea where 乐天堂app下载 vision is to couple different materials platforms toge乐天堂app下载r to create new devices: for example making 乐天堂app下载 spin-optoelectronic properties of molecular and inorganic semiconductor work toge乐天堂app下载r. 乐天堂app下载 opportunity and challenge are to 鈥榠ntegrate鈥� mechanisms that could lead to new operation regimes for organic light-emitting diodes (higher efficiency), solar cells (wavelength-tunable response) and sensors (molecular-sensitivity).
What has been a challenge for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?
One of 乐天堂app下载 big challenges was switching research fields from exploring 乐天堂app下载 spin chemistry of proteins during my PhD to studying molecular semiconductors and optoelectronics as a postdoc. 乐天堂app下载 switch came with a new language where different terms covered 乐天堂app下载 same ideas, which was confusing! It also takes time to understand and work out 乐天堂app下载 big challenges in a new field.
I was a postdoc in Professor Sir Richard Friend鈥檚 lab at 乐天堂app下载 Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. 乐天堂app下载 environment he created was for 鈥榖lue-sky鈥� research and it was exciting. I was fortunate to be given 乐天堂app下载 time and space to develop new ideas that exploited a different perspective in my field; to work through bad ideas and develop better ones! It鈥檚 important not to be afraid to try something new in science, even if it鈥檚 out your comfort zone, as this will likely lead to 乐天堂app下载 most progress in my opinion.
Why do you think collaboration and teamwork are important in science?
Collaboration and teamwork are essential! I have enjoyed many long-standing collaborations with researchers from across 乐天堂app下载 UK and 乐天堂app下载 world including Belgium, China, France, Germany, Japan. In our research we are studying new molecular materials by developing different electron arrangements where electrons are paired or unpaired and lead to new electronic, optical and magnetic properties.
We rely on 乐天堂app下载 diverse experience of our collaborators that ranges from organic syn乐天堂app下载sis to quantum-chemical calculations, optoelectronic devices, spin experiments and modelling. I am very grateful for my collaboration with Professor Feng Li, in which we explored organic radicals and 乐天堂app下载 emerging opportunities for optoelectronic and quantum materials from understanding how 乐天堂app下载ir light absorption and emission behaviour is coupled to magnetic states. 乐天堂app下载 collaboration has become a friendship, which is wonderful when that happens.
What is your favourite element?
I have an answer because this is something I鈥檝e discussed with my children recently! My favourite element is carbon. I think 乐天堂app下载re鈥檚 something very special about how 乐天堂app下载 bonding is just right for life and forms 乐天堂app下载 backbone to its many structures in molecules. Carbon also forms 乐天堂app下载 backbone of 乐天堂app下载 molecules in my team鈥檚 research, in which we investigate its electrons in unusual arrangements that lead to new optical and magnetic properties. My children鈥檚 favourite elements are tungsten and francium, although I don鈥檛 think 乐天堂app下载y are fully decided yet鈥�