Dr Matthew Wallace (pictured left), UKRI Future Leaders Research Fellow at the University of East Anglia, has been awarded the 2026 Potts Medal for Chemistry.
The Potts Medal, awarded annually in honour of distinguished chemist Harold Edwin Potts, who studied at the University of Liverpool in the early 20th century , is chosen by members of the University’s student Chemistry Society, ChemSoc.
Dr Wallace with members of the Chemistry Society
Dr Wallace obtained his MChem degree from the University of Liverpool in 2013. He went on to complete his PhD at Liverpool under the direction of Professor Dave Adams and Dr Jon Iggo, developing novel Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques to study self-assembled peptide gel materials. He won the 2017 Ronald Belcher Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry for his PhD research. He also won a Research Fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to work with Professor Yaroslav Khimyak at the School of Pharmacy at UEA.
In August 2020, Matthew was awarded a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship to develop the CSI/gradient tools for a wide range of purposes across materials science, chemical biology and drug discovery.
Dr Wallace said: “It is a pleasure to receive the Potts Medal and return once again to the University of Liverpool. The Department of Chemistry is a special place where multiple lines of world-leading research converge to provide an excellent environment to develop as an independent scientist with all the freedom, facilities, expertise and encouragement readily at hand. Despite having moved to East Anglia more than eight years ago, I am a regular visitor to experiment with NMR and catch up with contacts”
He received the Potts Medal at a special ceremony held on campus, where he also delivered a lecture to students, alumni, and staff, as per tradition for Potts Medal recipients.
Established in 1933, the Potts Medal honours outstanding contributions by University of Liverpool alumni to the field of chemistry. It was reinstated in 2014 thanks to a generous donation from Waters.
Dr Wallace is pictured left with Professor Peter Myers, Department of Chemistry.