Jeremy Sanders facts for kids

Jeremy Keith Morris Sanders, born on May 3, 1948, is a famous British chemist. He is an Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. This means he is a retired professor who still holds his title. He was also the Editor-in-Chief of Royal Society Open Science, a science journal. Professor Sanders is well-known for his important work in areas like NMR spectroscopy and supramolecular chemistry. From 2011 to 2015, he served as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional Affairs at the University of Cambridge.

Jeremy Sanders' Education Journey

Jeremy Sanders grew up in London, England. He went to Southmead Primary School and then Wandsworth Comprehensive School. After that, he studied chemistry at Imperial College London. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Science, in 1969. He also won the Edmund White Prize for his excellent work.

PhD Research at Cambridge

From 1969 to 1972, Jeremy Sanders worked on his PhD degree. His research focused on special chemicals called lanthanide shift reagents. These reagents help scientists understand the structure of molecules using a technique called NMR. He did this research at Churchill College, Cambridge, and his supervisor was Dudley Williams.

Career and Research Highlights

After finishing his PhD, Jeremy Sanders became a fellow at Christ's College, Cambridge, in 1972. He then spent a year doing postdoctoral research in the Pharmacology Department at Stanford University in the United States.

Return to Cambridge University

He returned to Cambridge and became a Demonstrator in Chemistry. He was promoted several times: to Lecturer in 1978, Reader in 1992, and then Professor from 1996 to 2015. He also held important leadership roles at the university. He was the Head of the Chemistry Department from 2000 to 2006. Later, he became the Head of the School of Physical Sciences from 2009 to 2011. He was also the Deputy Vice-Chancellor from 2006 to 2010. In this role, he helped oversee the university's 800th Anniversary celebrations.

Key Scientific Discoveries

Professor Sanders has made many important discoveries in chemistry.

NMR Spectroscopy Achievements

In NMR spectroscopy, he was a pioneer in analyzing the proton spectra of steroids. He used new techniques to understand the structure of these molecules. He also helped us understand how microbial storage polymers work inside living things.

Supramolecular Chemistry Innovations

In supramolecular chemistry, which is about how molecules fit together like puzzle pieces, he did groundbreaking work. His research with porphyrin systems helped confirm a scientific idea called the Marcus 'inverted region'. He also developed a standard model, with Chris Hunter, to explain how aromatic molecules interact.

He used special metal atoms like Zinc, Tin, Ruthenium, Rhodium, and Aluminum with porphyrins. This helped him create new complex systems. He also found new ways to build molecules using templates. These templates guide the creation of new molecules. He also figured out how to make chemical reactions happen faster inside special "host" molecules.

A cyclic metallo-porphyrin tetramer created by templated synthesis around a fifth porphyrin

Dynamic Chemistry Breakthroughs

Since the mid-1990s, Professor Sanders has been a leader in developing Dynamic covalent chemistry and dynamic combinatorial chemistry. These are exciting new areas of chemistry.

• In dynamic covalent chemistry, scientists use reactions that can go forwards and backwards. This allows them to find the most stable molecule that can be formed from a mixture.
• In dynamic combinatorial chemistry, a "template" molecule is used. This template helps guide the creation of a new molecule that fits perfectly with the template.

These methods can help scientists discover new molecules that they might not have been able to design or make using older methods. For example, these approaches have been very successful in making complex macrocycles, which are large ring-shaped molecules. This includes creating a special kind of molecular knot.

Recently, Professor Sanders also discovered helical supramolecular nanotubes. These are tiny tube-like structures that can bind to other molecules, like C₆₀ Fullerenes.

Awards and Honours

Jeremy Sanders has received many awards and honours for his contributions to science:

• 1975 – Meldola Medal and Prize, Royal Institute of Chemistry
• 1981 – Hickinbottom Award, Royal Society of Chemistry
• 1984 – Pfizer Academic Award (for work on nuclear Overhauser effect), Royal Society of Chemistry
• 1988 – Pfizer Academic Award (for work on in vivo NMR), Royal Society of Chemistry
• 1994 – Josef Loschmidt Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry
• 1995 – Elected Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
• 1996 – Pedler Medal and Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry
• 2002 – Visiting Fellow, Japan Society for Promotion of Science
• 2003 – Izatt-Christensen Award in Macrocyclic Chemistry (U.S.A.). This award recognizes excellent work in macrocyclic chemistry.
• 2009 – Davy Medal, from The Royal Society. He received this for his pioneering work in many fields, especially dynamic combinatorial chemistry.
• 2011 – President of the Bürgenstock Conference, Switzerland (he was Vice-President in 2010).

In 2014, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This honour was given to him for his great services to scientific research.