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Biography

Professor Jonathan Nitschke MºÚÁÏÉçÇø was born in Syracuse (central New York State). At 16 he moved to Gainesville, Florida, where he received an International Baccalaureate Diploma in 1991. He then went off to Williams College in Massachusetts and received a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry in 1995, remaining confused to this day as to whether chemistry is an art. He then drove across America to start his PhD in organometallic chemistry with Don Tilley at Berkeley, where he graduated in 2001. He then took up a two-year postdoctoral stint in the labs of Jean-Marie Lehn in Strasbourg, where he learned a bit of supramolecular chemistry and French.

He left for France with the expectation that he would come back ‘home’ thereafter, but moving abroad opened up new and interesting possibilities. He thus ended up at the University of Geneva in 2003 as a ‘Maître-assistant’, teaching physical organic chemistry in French and running a modest research group.

In 2007 he applied for a Lectureship at Cambridge, and counted himself very lucky to be offered the job. He was promoted to professor in 2014, and currently serves as head of the Yusuf Hamied Chemistry Department’s Materials Research Interest Group. In 2017 he organised (under ºÚÁÏÉçÇø auspices) the International Symposium on Supramolecular and Macrocyclic Chemistry in Cambridge.

[Chemistry] has immense aesthetic appeal, in addition to its economic value. In chasing beauty you often end up finding value...

Jonathan Nitschke

Q&A

Can you tell us more about your work?

The Nitschke group looks at research problems to do with making complex supramolecular structures from simple organic subcomponents and metal ions. The team has steadily increased the intricacy of the metal-organic structures they create, with a focus upon hollow molecular containers that are capable of binding and transporting ‘guest’ species, with applications in chemical purifications, sensing, and transformations.

Who or what first sparked your interest in chemistry, and how has that interest evolved over time? 

The amazing colours of metal complexes, and the aesthetic delight in seeing a beautiful chemical structure. I've always loved the sense of creativity interwoven with chemical synthesis.

What has been the most rewarding or memorable highlight of your career so far? 

Seeing people leave the group, spread their wings, and fly!

Thinking back to earlier in your career, are there any words of wisdom that you wish someone had told you? 

Great ideas come out of discussions between people with complementary strengths, not individuals sitting in a corner and thinking.

What impact would you say that your work is having on your field and/or the wider world? 

I think we can help develop new and better chemical purifications – these are economically very important, and consume a huge portion of humanity's energy budget.

What future directions or opportunities do you see for your work? 

I'd love to play more with big biomolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids!

What do you wish more people understood about your field or the chemical sciences in general? 

The beauty of chemistry! It has immense aesthetic appeal, in addition to its economic value. In chasing beauty you often end up finding value...

In what ways does creativity influence how you think about or carry out your work? 

Myriad ways! I think the most important skill for a PI is to be able to evoke or encourage the creativity of team members.

Are there any scientific developments, either recent or on the horizon, that you are excited about? 

Yes! There's lots of cool physics and cosmology coming out – what's beyond the Standard Model? The leading edge of chemistry is also fizzing with cool ideas.

What does good research culture mean to you, and why does it matter? 

It means respecting people, and listening to them. Not letting bullies emerge.

How can scientists try to improve the environmental sustainability of research? Can you give us any examples from your own experience or context? 

The key thing we can do is to decarbonise the economy through new innovations! The environmental footprint of a research lab, or even all research labs, is tiny and we need to be careful of performative greenery.

How important would you say collaboration is for producing high quality science? How has collaboration influenced your work? 

Absolutely essential! I've had, and have, some superb collaborators – the best ideas emerge not from one person's head, but from good discussions over a bottle of wine!

If you had unlimited resources, what research question would you most want to explore? 

Tough question! My latest grant proposal was on protein encapsulation within big cages – I think that would be a good start!

What is your favourite element and why? 

Phosphorus! Lots of coloured allotropes, and we caged the white one a few years back, rendering it air stable.