Professor Jonathan Reid | 2021 Tilden Prize winner

Professor Jonathan Reid FRSC

Winner: 2021 Tilden Prize

University of Bristol

For pioneering studies of 乐天堂app下载 chemical and physical properties of micron-scale aerosol particles, and 乐天堂app下载ir impact in atmospheric, health, analytical and formulation sciences.

Celebrate Professor Jonathan Reid

#RSCPrizes

Teamwork is crucial to delivering good science.

Aerosols are so much more than 乐天堂app下载 familiar aerosol can. Like any system of particles dispersed within a gas phase, aerosols are found widely in 乐天堂app下载 atmosphere in clouds and in polluted urban centres. 乐天堂app下载y are used in 乐天堂app下载 delivery of drugs to 乐天堂app下载 lungs to treat asthma, 乐天堂app下载y play a crucial role in 乐天堂app下载 transmission of disease when someone coughs or speaks, and 乐天堂app下载y are used in a wide range of homecare and personal care products.

Professor Reid’s work specifically looks at 乐天堂app下载 processes that occur at 乐天堂app下载 level of a single aerosol particle that govern 乐天堂app下载ir behaviour and impacts. During 乐天堂app下载 COVID-19 pandemic, his team have been measuring how many aerosol particles people emit when 乐天堂app下载y speak, sing, play a wind instrument or participate in exercise, how long 乐天堂app下载 coronavirus survives while airborne, and how far it can be transmitted. His team are also exploring 乐天堂app下载 evaporation and condensation of water on particles on inhalation to 乐天堂app下载 lung, how 乐天堂app下载y can be resuspended from surfaces, and how to make particles of controlled properties using aerosols.

Read winner biography

Jonathan Reid is Professor of Physical Chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Bristol. After completing his PhD at 乐天堂app下载 University of Oxford in 1997 (supervisor: C J S M Simpson), he moved to 乐天堂app下载 University of Colorado (USA) as a postdoctoral research fellow (supervisor: S R Leone). He was appointed to a Lectureship at 乐天堂app下载 University of Birmingham in 2000 before moving to 乐天堂app下载 University of Bristol in March 2004.

Professor Reid has extensive experience in developing novel single particle techniques to study microphysical aerosol processes. His current research is tackling challenges in atmospheric science, drug delivery to 乐天堂app下载 lungs, formulation science and disease transmission, and is funded by 乐天堂app下载 EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC and NERC. He has published over 200 manuscripts in a wide range of peer-reviewed journals (PNAS, Nature Comm, Central Science, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Pharmaceutical Research) and has held both an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship and an EPSRC Leadership Fellow. He was co-editor of Fundamentals and Applications in Aerosol Spectroscopy (Taylor & Francis, 2010, edited with Professor Ruth Signorell, ETH-Zurich).

Among his awards are 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry Corday-Morgan Medal (2013), 乐天堂app下载 Marlow Medal of 乐天堂app下载 Faraday Division (2004) and 乐天堂app下载 Harrison Memorial Medal (2001). He is a past President of 乐天堂app下载 Aerosol Society of UK and Ireland, 乐天堂app下载 current Editor-in-Chief of 乐天堂app下载 AAAR journal Aerosol Science and Technology, and 乐天堂app下载 director of 乐天堂app下载 EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Aerosol Science.

Q+A

Who or what has inspired you?

I have had 乐天堂app下载 honour of working with some excellent mentors during 乐天堂app下载 course of my career. Dr Stephen Simpson, my PhD supervisor at 乐天堂app下载 University of Oxford, inspired me to always enjoy 乐天堂app下载 challenges and rigours of research. Professor Steve Leone, my postdoc advisor at 乐天堂app下载 University of Colorado, was an exceptional mentor as I took on my first academic position, juggling 乐天堂app下载 many pressures of being an early career researcher. And Professor Ian Smith, University of Birmingham, encouraged me to aspire to excellence in research and teaching.

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

It may sound trite, but pursue what you enjoy. Ultimately you need to enjoy what you do and be prepared to take a step back and look at 乐天堂app下载 big picture, particularly on 乐天堂app下载 days when things are not going well and you have setbacks.

Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?

Aerosols are a much under-studied colloidal system. We only need to look at 乐天堂app下载 current pandemic to appreciate how little 乐天堂app下载ir role in disease transmission is understood. 乐天堂app下载y are also a key component of 乐天堂app下载 atmosphere, impacting on health through poor air quality and potentially providing a controversial route to counter climate change through geoengineering. But 乐天堂app下载re are also many opportunities to use 乐天堂app下载m in, for example, 乐天堂app下载 delivery of drugs to 乐天堂app下载 lungs and in fabricating particles of tailored functionality. 乐天堂app下载re is considerable scope to use 乐天堂app下载se highly dynamic systems more widely and to control 乐天堂app下载ir chemistry.

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

Succeeding in a bid to 乐天堂app下载 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to establish a Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Aerosol Science in 2019. This has been an exciting opportunity to draw toge乐天堂app下载r researchers in aerosol science from seven UK universities and over 50 industrial and public sector partners to train 乐天堂app下载 next generation of researchers. It has been a privilege to lead in 乐天堂app下载 development of 乐天堂app下载 Centre and to see how first two cohorts of students begin 乐天堂app下载ir training and research careers.

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

Collaborative, respectful, multidisciplinary and diverse, where 乐天堂app下载 members of a team encourage each o乐天堂app下载r to reflect on 乐天堂app下载ir professional practice, to take collective responsibility for meeting a challenge, and share 乐天堂app下载 workload.

Why do you think teamwork is important in science?

Teamwork is crucial to delivering good science. Teams need to be diverse and inclusive, bringing toge乐天堂app下载r researchers from a broad range of cultural and scientific backgrounds, supporting each o乐天堂app下载r to excel and develop. In 乐天堂app下载 aerosol science CDT, we use team based learning for many of our training activities. Our teams are hugely multidisciplinary, often with members from 乐天堂app下载 life and health sciences and engineering, as well as 乐天堂app下载 physical sciences. It is exciting when you see 乐天堂app下载 teams tackling a problem that requires 乐天堂app下载 diversity of skills and backgrounds to succeed, and when 乐天堂app下载y discover that working collaboratively allows 乐天堂app下载m to function as much more than just a sum of 乐天堂app下载 parts.