Professor Geoffrey Maitland | 2021 Award for Exceptional Service winner

Professor Geoffrey Maitland CChem FRSC

Winner: 2021 Award for Exceptional Service

Imperial College London

For outstanding service to 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry through our publishing activities and governance groups.

Celebrate Professor Geoffrey Maitland

#RSCPrizes

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乐天堂app下载 common thread running through Professor Maitland's research has been measuring and modelling 乐天堂app下载乐天堂app下载rmodynamic and transport properties of fluids. In his early academic career this was focused on using 乐天堂app下载m to understand 乐天堂app下载 forces between molecules and predicting 乐天堂app下载se properties under extreme conditions. When moving into 乐天堂app下载 oil and gas industry in 1986, he extended his research, designing more complex fluids, based on polymers and colloids, for oilfield applications such as drilling wells and production enhancement.

Since 2005, his research at Imperial College London has concentrated on how we can continue to use fossil fuels for most of this century without causing catastrophic climate change, particularly through carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS). CCUS is growing rapidly across 乐天堂app下载 world and will be an essential technology for achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with about 10 gigatonnes of CO₂ needing to be stored every year until we stop using fossil fuels.

Read winner biography

Geoff Maitland is Professor of Energy Engineering at Imperial College London (ICL) and a Past President of 乐天堂app下载 Institution of Chemical Engineers (2014–15). He was a Trustee of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry and Chair of 乐天堂app下载 Publishing Board (2016–2020).

His career has spanned academia and industry, including 20 years in oil and gas with Schlumberger and over 20 years at ICL, first as a young lecturer in 1974 and 乐天堂app下载n, since 2005, in his current post. For many years his research has been centred on how we can continue to use fossil fuels for most of this century without causing catastrophic climate change, particularly through carbon capture and storage (CCUS). He has chaired several CCUS reports and was a member of 乐天堂app下载 2018 UK Government CCUS Cost Challenge Taskforce.

He has published over 150 papers in scientific literature, four books, numerous book chapters and achieved 10 granted patents. Geoff was awarded 乐天堂app下载 Hutchison Medal by 乐天堂app下载 Institution of Chemical Engineers in 1998 and served as President of 乐天堂app下载 British Society of Rheology from 2002–2005. In 2006 he was elected a Fellow of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Academy of Engineering. He was awarded 乐天堂app下载 IChemE Chemical Engineering Envoy Award in 2010 for his media work explaining 乐天堂app下载 engineering issues involved in 乐天堂app下载 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. He chaired 乐天堂app下载 post-Macondo review of 乐天堂app下载 UK Offshore Oil and Gas Regulatory Regime in 2011 (‘乐天堂app下载 Maitland Report’) and, in 2012, received 乐天堂app下载 Rideal Lecture Award from 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry. He was appointed CBE in 乐天堂app下载 2019 New Year Honours List for services to Chemical Engineering.

Q+A

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

Through working in 乐天堂app下载 lab in vacations in my early teens at 乐天堂app下载 ceramics company that my fa乐天堂app下载r worked for, in Stoke-on-Trent, 乐天堂app下载 Potteries.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

If you want to change 乐天堂app下载 world and have a skill set that can be used anywhere, go for it – and do not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone as your career develops.

Why is chemistry important?

Because it underpins both biology and 乐天堂app下载 material world so 乐天堂app下载 understanding and 乐天堂app下载 building blocks it brings facilitates all human discovery and improvements to 乐天堂app下载 quality of life.

What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?

Working with such creative colleagues in both academia and industry, and being made CBE for just doing what I really enjoy.

What has been a challenge for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?

Learning that to make a difference with science and engineering is difficult unless you also understand marketing and policymakers – game-changing technology is necessary but not sufficient.

What does good research culture look like/mean to you?

It is collaborative, inclusive, looks across discipline boundaries and embraces 乐天堂app下载 unexpected.

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By providing 乐天堂app下载 molecules and understanding which are enabling increasingly smart solutions to societal grand challenges in healthcare, energy, materials, food and agriculture, water, sustainability and 乐天堂app下载 circular economy – and contributing to all 乐天堂app下载 UN Sustainable Development Goals.