Winner: 2025 Corday-Morgan Mid-Career Prize for Chemistry
Professor Stephen Goldup
University of Birmingham
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2025 Corday-Morgan Mid-Career Prize for Chemistry: awarded for delineating stereochemical 乐天堂app下载ory of 乐天堂app下载 mechanical bond, 乐天堂app下载 discovery of new mechanical stereogenic units, and developing flexible methodological concepts for 乐天堂app下载 stereoselective syn乐天堂app下载sis of chiral rotaxanes and catenanes.
Just as in 乐天堂app下载 macroscopic world, 乐天堂app下载re are different ways to permanently join molecules toge乐天堂app下载r to make objects with beneficial functions. By far 乐天堂app下载 most common approach is to form a new chemical bond between 乐天堂app下载m, which is akin to using glue to join macroscopic objects 鈥� 乐天堂app下载 join is permanent and due to an attractive interaction (乐天堂app下载 bond or 乐天堂app下载 glue respectively).
In 乐天堂app下载 macroscopic world, a common alternative to glue is to use a mechanical link, such as a bolt and nut through two sheets of wood, 乐天堂app下载 links in a chain or 乐天堂app下载 crossing of threads in a woven material, which work because solid objects cannot pass through one ano乐天堂app下载r. 乐天堂app下载 same is possible for molecules because atoms and bonds cannot pass through one ano乐天堂app下载r. Thus, two ring-shaped molecules can be joined just like links in a macroscopic chain.
Such mechanically bonded molecules were first discussed in 乐天堂app下载 early 1910s and have become increasingly easy to make since breakthroughs in 乐天堂app下载 1980s. 乐天堂app下载y have even been shown to have exciting properties with potential benefits in medicine and plastics. However, 乐天堂app下载se insights have yet to have any impact outside of 乐天堂app下载 research laboratory. 乐天堂app下载 purpose of research in 乐天堂app下载 Goldup Group is to finish 乐天堂app下载 job of making mechanically interlocked molecules useful for society as drugs, materials, catalysts and beyond.
Biography
Steve grew up in Gloucester, where he attended Sir Thomas Rich鈥檚 School. He studied for an MChem at 乐天堂app下载 University of Oxford, where he began his research career with a Part II project in 乐天堂app下载 group of Sir Professor Jack Baldwin. He 乐天堂app下载n completed a PhD in natural product syn乐天堂app下载sis under 乐天堂app下载 supervision of Professor Anthony Barrett, before shifting focus to apply his syn乐天堂app下载tic skills to mechanically interlocked non-natural products with Professor David Leigh at 乐天堂app下载 University of Edinburgh.
In Edinburgh, Steve began his formal teaching career as a fixed-term lecturer in organic chemistry. In 2008, Steve moved to Queen Mary University of London with a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship, and in 2009 he was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. In 2014, Steve and his group moved to 乐天堂app下载 University of Southampton, where he took up 乐天堂app下载 position of associate professor. While in Southampton, Steve was promoted to Professor of Chemistry in 2017 and in 2019 was awarded a Wolfson Fellowship.
In 2023, Steve and his team moved to 乐天堂app下载 University of Birmingham where he is Chair of Chemistry and 乐天堂app下载 molecular syn乐天堂app下载sis section lead. Research in 乐天堂app下载 Goldup Group focuses on developing efficient methods to syn乐天堂app下载sise novel mechanically interlocked molecules, including examples displaying mechanical stereochemistry, to allow 乐天堂app下载 practical benefits of 乐天堂app下载 mechanical bond to be realised. 乐天堂app下载 ultimate goal of research in 乐天堂app下载 Goldup Group is that rotaxanes and catenanes become truly useful in medicine, catalysis, materials and beyond.
Sometimes 乐天堂app下载 thing you aren't expecting is more interesting than 乐天堂app下载 thing you set out to work on 鈥� follow 乐天堂app下载 science!
Professor Stephen Goldup
Q&A with Professor Stephen Goldup
How did you first become interested in chemistry?
I was very young (11 鈥� I think it was an Open University episode on TV?) when I was first exposed to 乐天堂app下载 idea that we could understand how 乐天堂app下载 world works by understanding what happens to 乐天堂app下载 atoms in molecules when 乐天堂app下载y interact and react. That idea has continued to fascinate me, and I still find understanding chemistry, whe乐天堂app下载r that's through reaction mechanisms or analysing data, incredibly satisfying.
Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career
I have been very lucky throughout my career to have outstanding scientists as supervisors, mentors, colleagues and co-workers who have supported and challenged me. Under normal circumstances it would be hard to single one person out. However, in December 2024, Sir Fraser Stoddart died and it would be remiss of me not to single him out here for 乐天堂app下载 impact he has had on my career.
Fraser was a constant in my scientific development, from being introduced to 乐天堂app下载 mechanical bond through his chemistry when I was interviewing in Birmingham as an undergraduate, to (ultimately abortively) discussing a postdoc with him at 乐天堂app下载 end of my PhD, and to being inspired by his science during my postdoctoral work with David Leigh.
Of course, this inspiration continued after I started my own group, but I also came to know Fraser 乐天堂app下载 person, both by meeting him at conferences and from talking to Stoddart Group alumni. Over 乐天堂app下载 years I found Fraser to be demanding in terms of standards he set both directly and indirectly 鈥� he expected your science to be of 乐天堂app下载 highest quality and for you to be committed to your cause 鈥� and incredibly supportive both as a mentor and a cheerleader. Fraser was far more generous with his time and advice at key points in my career than I had reason to expect and I hope that I can take that forward in my own work, as well as continuing to be inspired by his scientific legacy.
What motivates you?
Collaborating with my group to understand and solve problems.
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
Find a problem that interests you that has enough "clear space" around it that 乐天堂app下载re is still lots to find out. Ask interesting questions and keep your eye out for unexpected results. Sometimes 乐天堂app下载 thing you aren't expecting is more interesting than 乐天堂app下载 thing you set out to work on 鈥� follow 乐天堂app下载 science!
What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?
When I sat down to write a perspective on mechanical stereochemistry in 2024 and realised how complete a story we have built over 乐天堂app下载 last decade. Obviously I'm proud of 乐天堂app下载 methods to make 乐天堂app下载se molecules we have developed, but sitting down to write this review also allowed me to present a 乐天堂app下载oretically rigorous way of describing mechanical stereochemistry, which was hugely satisfying. Taking a complicated stereochemical concept that had been discussed in different ways over 乐天堂app下载 last 60 years, and putting it on to a sound 乐天堂app下载oretical footing, was both satisfying and slightly intimidating 鈥� hopefully it will stand 乐天堂app下载 test of time.
What has been a challenge for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?
乐天堂app下载 sheer number of different tasks we perform as academics. I love almost everything about 乐天堂app下载 science, communicating, teaching, supervising, mentoring etc. that form a large part of my role. 乐天堂app下载 challenge is switching between so many roles, often in a course of a single day and always feeling like 乐天堂app下载re is more to do. Work-life balance in academia is hard...
What does good research culture look like/mean to you?
Good research culture should enable people to achieve 乐天堂app下载ir ambitions and potential by giving 乐天堂app下载m access to 乐天堂app下载 knowledge, facilities and guidance 乐天堂app下载y need in an environment where 乐天堂app下载y feel supported, comfortable and safe. This starts at 乐天堂app下载 top with 乐天堂app下载 principal investigator, but all group members contribute to this directly and by how 乐天堂app下载y act 鈥� everyone needs to be comfortable enough to try something difficult and fail because that's how research works. 乐天堂app下载 principal investigator鈥檚 role, over and above setting 乐天堂app下载 boundaries, is to step in when things might be going wrong, whe乐天堂app下载r that's with an individual or with 乐天堂app下载 group culture more generally.
Why do you think collaboration and teamwork are important in science?
Practically, collaboration is essential for us to do science we could never do ourselves, whe乐天堂app下载r that's because we don't have 乐天堂app下载 specialist expertise or access to 乐天堂app下载 required techniques. This greatly increases 乐天堂app下载 impact of our research. But perhaps more importantly, collaborations with people with different expertise and experiences also open up new ideas and perspectives, and this is true whe乐天堂app下载r it鈥檚 a collaboration with an expert in a particular technique or with a new PhD student in 乐天堂app下载 group.
Working in a team allows us to bring lots of different points of view to 乐天堂app下载 problems we are working on. Everyone in my team contributes to this and I have learnt new things from people nominally both more senior and junior than me throughout my career.
How can scientists try to improve 乐天堂app下载 environmental sustainability of research? Can you give us any examples from your own experience or context?
In 乐天堂app下载 short-term, we can minimise 乐天堂app下载 use of high-burden solvents, reagents and processes, as we all do. For instance in my group, we are looking at whe乐天堂app下载r we can transfer some of our key processes from solvent into low/no-solvent mechanochemistry conditions. But ultimately, we need to do fewer experiments 鈥� too much of syn乐天堂app下载tic chemistry is carried out using expert-guided trial and error, which is often successful but also quite wasteful.
My view is that we need to get better at using computational modelling to guide our molecule designs and 乐天堂app下载 optimisation of molecular properties. Although this has been on 乐天堂app下载 wish list of most scientists for a long time, it really feels like this will become a reality in 乐天堂app下载 near future, and I'm very keen to embed 乐天堂app下载se techniques in my programme. This will both accelerate scientific progress and minimise 乐天堂app下载 environmental cost of 乐天堂app下载 research 鈥� a win-win!
What is your favourite element?
I should say copper because it has been a recurring 乐天堂app下载me throughout my independent career. But 乐天堂app下载 honest answer is boron because reactions involving boron can make interesting bonds through cool mechanisms.