Martyn Poliakoff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Martyn Poliakoff
|
|
|---|---|
Poliakoff during the filming of a Periodic Videos video
|
|
| Born | 16 December 1947 London, England
|
| Alma mater | King's College, Cambridge (BA, PhD) |
| Known for | Periodic Videos |
| Spouse(s) |
Janet Frances Keene
(m. 1969) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives |
|
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | The matrix isolation of large molecules. The photochemistry of transition metal carbonyls (1973) |
| Doctoral advisor | J. J. Turner |
| Doctoral students | Andrew Ian Cooper |
Sir Martyn Poliakoff (born 16 December 1947) is a famous British chemist. He is well-known for his work in green chemistry, which focuses on making chemical processes safer for the environment. He is also the main presenter on the popular YouTube channel Periodic Videos.
His main scientific work involves supercritical fluids, which are special gases that act like liquids. He also studies infrared spectroscopy and lasers. Sir Martyn is a research professor of chemistry at the University of Nottingham. Besides his research, he teaches classes, including those on green chemistry.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Martyn Poliakoff was born in London, England. His mother, Ina, was British-Jewish, and his father, Alexander Poliakoff, was Russian-Jewish. He has a younger brother, Stephen Poliakoff, who is a writer and director. His grandfather, Joseph Poliakoff, was a clever inventor of electrical devices. He moved to the United Kingdom in 1924.
Martyn went to Westminster School. After that, he studied chemistry at King's College, Cambridge. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (BA), in 1969. While at university, he became good friends with Tony Judt, who later became a historian. Martyn completed his PhD in chemistry at Cambridge in 1973. His research was guided by J.J. Turner.
Career and Research
In 1972, Poliakoff started working at Newcastle University. Then, in 1979, he became a lecturer at the University of Nottingham. He was promoted to professor there in 1991. His research has received funding from the EPSRC, a UK government agency.
Poliakoff is a world leader in green chemistry. He is especially interested in how supercritical fluids can be used. These are highly compressed gases that have properties of both gases and liquids. They allow chemical reactions to happen without needing harmful organic solvents. These solvents can be bad for health and the environment. His work has helped create systems using supercritical carbon dioxide and water. These systems can replace traditional solvents in factories. From 2011 to 2016, he was a foreign secretary and vice-president of the Royal Society. In these roles, he helped promote UK science around the world.
Popular Science Work
Poliakoff is the main speaker in over 600 short videos called The Periodic Table of Videos. This project was created by Brady Haran. It started to help people learn about all 118 elements on the periodic table.
The project has grown to include videos about molecules and other chemistry topics. Sir Martyn once made news for figuring out that the FIFA World Cup Trophy could not be solid gold. It would be too heavy to lift if it were! He has also shown some of his videos at science events in Moscow.
Awards and Recognition
Sir Martyn Poliakoff has received many awards for his work. In 1976, he won the Meldola Medal and Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2002. This is a very high honor for scientists. He also became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in 2002. In 2004, he became a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (FIChemE).
In 2008, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This award recognizes his important contributions. He also joined the Advisory Council for the Campaign for Science and Engineering in 2008. In 2011, he won the Nyholm Prize for Education for his teaching work. He also received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University that year.
In 2015, Martyn Poliakoff was knighted for his services to chemical sciences. This means he is now called "Sir Martyn." In 2016, he received the Lord Lewis Prize. This was for his work with supercritical fluids and his efforts in science policy. In 2019, he won the Royal Society of London Michael Faraday Prize. This award recognized his excellent work in sharing science with the public through Periodic Videos. He also received the 2019 Longstaff Prize for his contributions to green chemistry. In late 2023, he was elected a Foreign Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In 2021, a tram in Nottingham's tram network was named after him.
Personal Life
Martyn Poliakoff is married to Janet Frances Keene. They have two children. His daughter, Ellen Poliakoff, is a psychology lecturer at the University of Manchester. His son, Simon Poliakoff, teaches physics at The Priory School Hitchin.
