Creating Colours Without Pigments Measuring Gases Above the Pacific

Spring 2014 Creating colours without pigments The potential of modiﬁed proteins Measuring gases above the Paciﬁc What holds our bones together? As I see it... Could we start by taking a look at how things are going in the Numerous fundraising initiatives are under way in the department, department at the moment? designed to support our scientists and their research. Sarah Houlton Sure. Scientifically, we are very success - spoke to head of department Daan Frenkel about what we’re doing ful, and in the past few years we have attracted a number of excellent new staff members, including four lecturers and a professor. Our academic and teaching staff continue to win national and international acclaim – members of staff have won more than 20 prizes in the past year, continue to increase the amount of money brought in to sup - port research, and publish the work they do in major journals. If things are going so well, why is a programme of fundraising so important? The department delivers excellence on a fraction of the resources available to our Many of our competitors in countries such as the US. “staff have greatly Our research staff are very successful at benefited from the t generosity of t raising money via grant applications, i P but these sources don’t necessarily pro - donors when n a h vide start-up funds or money that can setting up their “ t a N be used flexibly and strategically. Our research groups : o t research priorities cannot, and must in Cambridge o h not, be set solely by the priorities of P external parties. dentships – we have about 280 PhD stu - for the future of chemistry, and not just Flexibility is particularly important dents in the department at the moment in Cambridge – many successful for young scientists as they build up – and, indeed, it’s not that we can’t fill Cambridge URFs and holders of other their groups. For example, they may our fume cupboards. But, increasingly, senior fellowships have gone on to lec - need to buy a piece of equipment and funding sources for PhD students are tureships, readerships and even profes - consumables to allow them to perform directed to particular areas of research sorships at other universities. initial experiments in a new and emerg - and restricted to specific groups of stu - However, while these fellowships are ing area of research that might, at a later dents. This can hamper the pursuit of prestigious and important, unrestricted date, form the basis of a large bid to a new ‘blue sky’ research projects, or even top-up funding to help the research get government or charitable funding prevent us from exploring interesting off the ground would really help. agency. It may also enable them to areas that don’t fall within the scope of Research Springboard money could recruit or retain staff between grants. one of our current doctoral training support travel to meet potential new Our donors have been incredibly awards. Yet these are exactly the sorts of collaborators, or provide consumables important to us in the past, and we projects that at least some Cambridge to explore new directions in research. believe they will be even more impor - students should be carrying out. The donor would have the privilege and tant in future. There is thus a great need for us to be satisfaction of knowing they had an able to say, simply, ‘Here is a fantastic important input in launching a young The Next Generation Fellowship project, you are a fantastic candidate, scientist’s career, and laying the founda - programme has been transfor - you’ve got the place.’ Or maybe a truly tions for their future success. mative, hasn’t it? exceptional candidate wants to do a It certainly has. Many of our staff have project no one had ever contemplated – So the Next Generation Fellows benefited from the generosity of donors if we had the funding we could let them are the next step in the career in setting up their research groups here do it. A donor who funded a Next sequence. What follows that? in Cambridge, via these unrestricted Generation student might be able to see We would love to be able to support grants that enable them to get their something really exciting happening. Next Generation Lectureships. It’s research up and running. Most recently, important to say that we have no plans Silvia Vignolini has been awarded a NGF So the plan is to expand the to increase our overall numbers because from Philip & Patricia Brown. Next Generation programme we feel that our current academic staff We are continually bringing new through all the steps of a level of 55–60 is about right to make a young people into the department, and chemist’s early career? real impact on a number of areas of this scheme gives them a fantastic boost That’s right. The next step of support is chemistry. There’s no need to spread in the early days of their career. We are what we’re calling the Research ourselves too thinly by expanding that, now also looking to expand the Next Springboard. Many of the young and there isn’t the space, either. Generation scheme to benefit a wider researchers starting out their independ - However, the lectureship scheme group of people in different ways, from ent career have a university research fel - allows us to do something slightly dif - students through to lecturers. lowship from an organisation such as ferently. Academic staff places tend to the Royal Society. These prestigious fel - open up when people move elsewhere Can you tell me about these lowships are extremely competitive, or retire, and it may be that we find Next Generation studentships? and only go to the very best. Typically, someone who is so brilliant, and The Next Generation scheme would the fellowship lasts for five years, allow - aligned with our priority areas of allow us to fund individual students ing the scientist to become established research, that we would love to hire through a four-year PhD. One might as a top-level researcher on the interna - them immediately. think we already have enough stu - tional stage. These people are important continued on page 11 2 Chem@Cam Spring 2014 Reluctant reactions Letters Are you in Cambridge for the university’s evenings. Others, particularly those from ‘down Alumni Festival in September? Why not under’, preferred the Panton Arms. Both were eChem@Cam visit us in Lensfield Road for our Student worthy successors to the Eagle in Bene’t Street Chem@Cam is now being sent out by email Showcase and Lab Tours? as watering holes for chemistry graduate stu - to those who have asked for a pdf version dents and postdocs, where, I think, many good rather than a hard copy in the mail. Come and learn about the latest cutting-edge ideas emerged from the informal discussions. If you would like to swap your paper research in chemistry, as some of our talented Sandy Todd young researchers give brief presentations magazine for an e-version, send an email about their projects. There will also be lab with the subject line ‘eChem@Cam’ to tours for interested alumni and guests. [email protected], and we’ll send it to you Pub pursuits electronically from the next issue. Don’t Friday 26 September 2014 at 4pm in the Todd forget to tell us your postal address so we Hamied Room – put it in your diary! Dear Editor can check that the correct person is removed John Green’s article, ‘Memories of Lensfield from the mailing list for the paper magazine. From Eagle to Arms Road’, in the last issue of Chem@Cam brought back some memories of the Spread Eagle 50 or You can check out e-back issues at Dear Editor so years ago. By chance, I was telling some of www.ch.cam.ac.uk I read with interest J.A. Green’s article in the the same anecdotes to my grandchildren only a Autumn 2013 issue of Chem@Cam about his few days ago. Kingsley Amis was a friend of my supervisor, memories of the move to Lensfield Road and I recall that John himself was a useful bar bil - the late J. Howard Purnell, and also played a early days working there. I had not heard the liards player, although I think our contempo - useful game of bar billards. On at least one story about my father and the White/Green con - rary, Peter Coates, was acknowledged as the occasion, the landlord of the Spread Eagle fusion before, but can well imagine the scene! local champion. Claims that we played the arranged a match against a team from a pub I do remember the adjournments to the game to give us all a useful insight into molec - somewhere near Barton or Comberton, and I Spread Eagle, now sadly no more, in the ular collisions proved to be unfounded! think I recall that Kinsley played, although the rest of the team came from the department. Yes, the Spread Eagle was popular with mem - bers of the department and it was rumoured, although never substantiated, that Professor Norrish even chose the same wallpaper for his sitting room at home as that in the Spread Eagle public bar! Tony Kallend (1956-62) Physical origins Dear Editor On reading my autumn 2013 copy of Chem@Cam , I wondered how you can write about wavefunctions without mentioning the late John Pople or Bob Parr? And how about a list and origins of the Physical Chemistry group at Pembroke? I recall an Australian but not his name.

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