Andrew Bruce Holmes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrew Holmes
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Holmes in 2015
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Andrew Bruce Holmes
5 September 1943 Melbourne, Australia
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| Nationality | Australian and British |
| Alma mater |
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| Known for | Natural product synthesis, Organic electronics |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organic Chemistry |
| Institutions | CSIRO University of Melbourne Imperial College London University of Cambridge |
| Doctoral advisor | Franz Sondheimer |
| Other academic advisors | Albert Eschenmoser (postdoc) |
| Doctoral students | Christine Luscombe |
| Other notable students | Andrew Ian Cooper (postdoc) |
Andrew Bruce Holmes, born on September 5, 1943, is a famous Australian and British chemist. He is a professor at the Bio21 Institute in Melbourne, Australia. He also used to be the President of the Australian Academy of Science.
Professor Holmes is known for his work in making new materials. He creates special chemicals found in nature, which can be used as medicines. He also works with "optoelectronic polymers." These are plastics that can glow or turn sunlight into electricity. They are used in things like flexible TV screens and solar cells.
Contents
Andrew Holmes' Early Studies
Andrew Holmes studied at the University of Melbourne in Australia. He completed his undergraduate and master's degrees there. Later, he moved to the United Kingdom. He received a special scholarship to study at University College London. There, he earned his PhD under the guidance of Franz Sondheimer.
Career and Amazing Discoveries
After his PhD, Holmes worked as a researcher. He helped with a big project to create Vitamin B12. This work was done with another famous scientist, Albert Eschenmoser.
In 1972, he became a teacher at the University of Cambridge. He stayed there for 32 years! He became a professor of organic and polymer chemistry. He also led the Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis.
Making New Materials
At Cambridge, Holmes became very interested in making small, useful molecules. These included natural products, like alkaloids, which come from plants. He also worked on peptidomimetics, which are like small protein chains.
Polymers That Glow!
A big discovery happened in 1989. A researcher in Holmes' team, Chloe Jennings, was studying a new type of plastic. She noticed something amazing: the plastic glowed when electricity passed through it!
This discovery led to a lot of research. Holmes' group and other scientists found many different light-emitting plastics. These plastics could glow in all the colors of the rainbow.
Holmes then worked with a physicist named Richard Friend. Together, they realized these glowing plastics could be used for new technologies. This included organic LEDs and rollable displays. Imagine a TV screen you can roll up!
To make these materials available to everyone, Friend and Holmes started a company. It was called Cambridge Display Technology. This company was a big success in the technology world.
Back to Australia and Solar Power
In 2004, Professor Holmes returned to Australia. He joined the new Bio21 Institute. There, he started using his glowing plastics for solar energy. He helped create the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium. This group works on making solar cells from organic materials.
He also kept making new, useful biological materials. For example, his team made special fats called phosphoinositides. Other scientists used these fats to study how cells talk to each other. This is important for understanding diseases like tumors.
Professor Holmes has written over 490 scientific papers. He also has 52 patents for his inventions. In 2014, he became the President of the Australian Academy of Science.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Professor Holmes has received many important awards for his work.
- In 2000, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists.
- In 2006, he became a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.
- He won the Descartes Prize in 2003.
- In 2012, he received the Royal Medal from the Royal Society.
- In 2011, he won the John B Goodenough Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
He has also been recognized by the Australian government.
- In 2004, he became a Member of the Order of Australia. This was for his great work in science.
- In 2017, he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. This is an even higher honor, recognizing his outstanding contributions to chemistry and science leadership.
- In 2021, he was awarded the Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture.
Personal Life
Andrew Holmes enjoys spending time outdoors. He loves hillwalking, which means hiking in hilly areas. He is also a big fan of classical music, especially opera. He lives in Melbourne and Lorne, Victoria with his wife, Jennifer.
