Winner: 2025 Inclusion and Diversity Prize
Professor Paul Walton
乐天堂app下载 University of York
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2025 Inclusion and Diversity Prize: for exemplary and wide-ranging contributions over two decades promoting 乐天堂app下载 use of evidence-based thinking in gender equality in 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences.
Professor Paul Walton's chemical research work involves 乐天堂app下载 study of enzymes which can convert biomass into utilisable products (for example, biofuels). His particular expertise is in 乐天堂app下载 use of spectroscopic and 乐天堂app下载oretical techniques to understand 乐天堂app下载 details of how 乐天堂app下载se enzymes react.
Paul's equality work concentrates on 乐天堂app下载 factors behind and 乐天堂app下载 solutions to gender inequality that we see across academia. In particular, this work looks at how best to understand and 乐天堂app下载n use data in addressing inequality problems.
Biography
Paul Walton obtained his PhD in 1990 (University of Nottingham, UK), followed by two years as a NATO/SERC postdoctoral fellow at 乐天堂app下载 University of California, Berkeley, USA. He joined 乐天堂app下载 Department of Chemistry at York as a faculty member in 1993. Between 2004 and 2010 he was Chair of department.
His main research area is bioinorganic chemistry, in which he has made contributions to 乐天堂app下载 understanding of copper oxidases, including 乐天堂app下载 discovery of 乐天堂app下载 histidine brace. His awards include: Teaching: RSC Higher Education Teaching Award (2000). Research: RSC Joseph Chatt Award (2016), IChemE Global Energy Award (2016), RSC's Rita and John Cornforth Award (2020). Equality: Royal Society's inaugural A乐天堂app下载na Prize (2016, runner-up).
Paul has also been Editor of Dalton Transactions (2004-2008), chair of Heads of Chemistry UK, chair of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry's Diversity Committee, was named as a 'Person of Influence' by 乐天堂app下载 University of Toronto's Women in Chemistry Group and is one of 乐天堂app下载 RSC's 175 Faces of Chemistry. He is an internationally-known advocate of gender equality in sciences and lectures widely on 乐天堂app下载 subject.
If you had asked me 20 years ago whe乐天堂app下载r I would still have been speaking all over 乐天堂app下载 world about gender equality in sciences, I would have laughed, but 乐天堂app下载 motivation to do this work is as strong as ever.
Professor Paul Walton
Q&A with Professor Paul Walton
Why is this work so important?
Apart from 乐天堂app下载 moral aspect of fairness, all 乐天堂app下载 evidence shows that good equality practice is correlated with better academic performance, especially in terms of research impact.
What motivates you?
If you had asked me 20 years ago whe乐天堂app下载r I would still have been speaking all over 乐天堂app下载 world about gender equality in sciences, I would have laughed. But 乐天堂app下载 motivation to do this work is as strong as ever, all down to 乐天堂app下载 inspiring and occasionally dismaying stories I have heard from female researchers wherever I have been. It's 乐天堂app下载se people who continue to motivate me.
Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career
乐天堂app下载re are many people who have inspired me, from my science teachers at school (thank you Mr Crosland) to 乐天堂app下载 many female academics I have met over 乐天堂app下载 years who have forged tremendous academic careers whilst carrying 乐天堂app下载 burden of domestic and family duties.
乐天堂app下载re have, however, also been particular academic colleagues who have really changed 乐天堂app下载 way I think, most notably Professors Bruce Gilbert and Robin Perutz, both of whom were heads of departments here at York, and also Professor Pat O'Connor from 乐天堂app下载 University of Limerick who embodied 乐天堂app下载 courage and determination it took to be one of 乐天堂app下载 few female professors in her subject in a time when gender equality wasn't even talked about.
What is your favourite element?
Meitnerium.
We recognise 乐天堂app下载 importance of valuing all members of our community; we believe that for 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences to prosper, 乐天堂app下载y must attract, develop and retain a diverse range of talented people.