Spring 2008 Teaching the chemists of the future Probing the properties of porphyrins Complex shapes from simple molecules What’s next for Cambridge chemistry? As I see it... facilities within the department. I would hope Bill Jones took over as head of department last year, and to be making an appointment here soon. That’s Sarah Houlton asks him how it’s going, what’s next for the a really positive step as we’re so dependent on IT and computing! department, and whether he still has time to do chemistry Sue Johnson’s retirement presents difficulties as she had been with us so long and was so important to us. She will be hard to replace, but Was the job of head of department tor) and the appointment of John Pyle to the I’m optimistic. Sue had a wide-ranging role what you were expecting? 1920 Chair of physical chemistry. These with responsibility for support staff, safety and Well, there’s a lot more paperwork and bureau - appointments have given us an additional security – a role that had evolved historically cracy than I’d anticipated! And the financial side impetus in terms of research in computational rather than necessarily logically. I’ve tried to is also quite complicated with regard to univer - chemistry and atmospheric science, recognis - redefine that role so that the new person can sity funding and how it impacts on the School ing our strengths in these two important areas. focus on working with support staff in terms of of Physical Sciences and the department. It’s And I’m hoping that we will soon be able to job development and progression and so on. important to make sure the department can do put the facilities together for the new Geoffrey As I see it, there are five important facets to the science that it wants to do, and that the Moorhouse Gibson professorship. We are also the smooth running of the Department and our tremendous work that’s going on receives the now, with the School of Clinical Medicine, look - ability to do good science – safety, finance, necessary support. We are a highly successful ing to appoint the Herchel Smith professor of teaching, buildings, and very importantly the department with very strong research groups medicinal chemistry. This is particularly exciting people. Howard Jones looks after the finance doing extremely well in terms of grant income as it will reinforce our already strong links with side and academic affairs, along with Christine and attracting good PhD students, postdocs and the Clinical School. Wilson; Andy the building; Mags Glendenning academic visitors. But the downside of this suc - safety (now with the assistance of a safety tech - cess is that there’s always the issue of space, and What about on the admin side? nician); James Keeler on the teaching side; and, being able to provide the facilities needed for We’ve been making some important changes to hopefully, we will soon have the new support the existing and future science. the way the department is administered. It’s staff person to replace Sue. It’s great to see the Melville lab getting an great that Andy Middleton is now formally the extension to develop polymer chemistry, and it’s buildings manager, and the university has just What else have you learnt in your good that we’ve been able to provide our new approved a senior computer officer post with new role? appointments (Matt Gaunt, David Spring, Stuart overall responsibility for computing and IT It’s been great to become more aware of the var - McKenzie, Oren Scherman) with good facilities ied science that’s going on in the department. and opportunities. It is also good that areas of the It’s all too easy to focus on your own area of department t hat have not been refurbished for s research and not really know what everyone else many year are brought up to the modern stan - e is doing. Finding out about what goes on here n dards required of today’s science, such as the sur - o has been rewarding because we’re a good face science labs where Stephen Jenkins and Dave J department and, by and large, people are toler - l King have their groups has been recently l ant of the fact that there aren’t always instant i upgraded, and the labs for David Spring. B solutions to problems. Very often taking the time to make a decision rather than rushing it means What’s the next phase of development you can come to a better solution. I think most going to be? V people understand that, and realise that instant We are working very hard to get the necessary C gratification isn’t always the best way! resources to develop the old radiochemistry labs in the south basement. There’s a lot of space So do you still have time to do chemistry? down there we could use, but it can’t be used at My work in the Pfizer Institute for Pharma - the moment because of radiochemical and ceutical Materials Science is still going well. We asbestos contamination. The university is trying continue to look at ways of developing new to help us on that, and things are promising. It methods to produce drug products, and the key will be a major job, but the result will be a space driver here is to decrease the time it takes that we’ll be proud of, and where people will be between identifying a good drug molecule and happy to work. It takes a lot of effort as it involves getting it into the marketplace to the benefit not so many different people – the university has a Born: Mold in North Wales. ‘It’s Yr Wyddgrug only of the pharmaceutical industry but also the big financial input, Estates Management because in Welsh, and that sounds a lot better!’ patients who need the drugs. I think Pfizer of the need for building works and contractors, Status : Daughter, Sarah, who after a appreciate the quality of the work that’s come and of course there’s the safety aspect, particu - psychology degree at UCL, has started as a out of the institute, and the work that we’ve larly because of our asbestos legacy. graduate management consultant trainee in done. The strong links between my group and I think it’s important we continue to main - London with Capgemini Consulting and a both the Cambridge Crystallographic Data tain and develop the building as there is lot of son, Matthew, studying Music Technology Centre and the department of materials science good science going on and more we want to at De Montfort, a course that Bill find really are also very important. In just over four years, do. There is a steady stream of people coming to interesting and makes him envious! we have produced 100+ first-rate publications. me saying they need more space as they’ve been Education: First degree at Aberystwyth, I’m also still teaching – this year I’ve given given another major grant. It’s a problem – but followed by a PhD there with John Meurig lecture courses at Part II and Part III level, and a good problem as it’s a sign of a healthy and Thomas and John O. Williams I’m still supervising my own courses as well as thriving department. Career: After a year at the Weizmann basic first year physical chemistry. It’s great at Institute in Israel, Bill returned to Aberys - the end of a busy day talking about finance and How’s academic recruitment going? twyth, where he was on the academic staff buildings and so on to sit down with enthusi - We have made important appointments of for two years. He then moved to Cambridge astic young undergraduates and talk about young staff. More recently it’s been interesting with John Meurig Thomas in 1978 chemistry! I hope I will be able to continue to be part of the recruitment of Daan Frenkel as Interests: Reading, music, Goss china, and doing that as it reminds me what the depart - head of theoretical, (replacing Jean-Pierre who Dewi – the family black Labrador. ment is actually about – doing great science, contributed so much to the health of the sec - and developing the chemists of the future. 2 Chem@Cam Spring 2008 Reluctant reactions Letters Less familiar well, both being members of Emmanuel College, and I’ve been referring to an Dear Editor obit by Brian in the college magazine to Thank you for another interesting issue. check my dates. In my first year, 1952, I was particularly glad to find among when he was a graduate student, Brian the 1950s faces a number of familiar was my supervisor in organic chemistry! faces from my generation. Now back to the puzzle section. I’m Sandy Ashmore would be one whom still fretting over dubnium. They you describe as ‘rather less familiar’, a shouldn’t go changing the names of fair comment since he left Cambridge the elements! in 1963, but generations of Emmanuel All good wishes, Christopher Willis men will remember him with affection 107 Runnymede Crescent, London, and gratitude, and I am one of your Ontario N6G 1Z7, Canada readers with fairly clear recollections of the Cambridge of 50 or 55 years ago! Intensive study For myself, as for many other nervous schoolboys, he was the first contact Dear Editor with Cambridge, interviewing me Re Portraits of the 1950s: Dr Ashmore when I came up to write the scholar - was very helpful to me at Emmanuel in ship exams, and subsequently being my a challenging task.