Richard Catlow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
Richard Catlow
FRS FRSC FInstP
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|---|---|
| Born |
Charles Richard Arthur Catlow
24 April 1947 Simonstone, Lancashire, England
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| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford (BA, DPhil) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry Physics Materials Science Crystallography Computational science |
| Institutions | University College London Royal Institution |
| Thesis | Defect structures in fluorite crystals (1973) |
| Doctoral advisor | Alan Lidiard |
| Doctoral students | Robin Grimes, Saiful Islam |
Sir Charles Richard Arthur Catlow is a famous British chemist and professor. He was born on April 24, 1947. He teaches at University College London and Cardiff University.
Sir Richard is known for using computers to understand how materials work. He has held important positions, like leading the Davy-Faraday Research Laboratory. Since 2016, he has been a foreign secretary for the Royal Society. This means he helps connect British science with the rest of the world. He also leads the InterAcademy Partnership, which brings together science academies globally.
Contents
Learning and Degrees
Sir Richard Catlow studied at St John's College, Oxford, which is part of the University of Oxford. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts, in 1970. Later, in 1974, he completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree. This is a very high academic degree.
Career and Scientific Discoveries
Sir Richard Catlow has spent his career using computer models. These models help him study how different materials behave. He focuses on solid state chemistry and materials chemistry. This involves looking at the properties of solid materials.
He combines his computer work with real-life experiments. This helps him understand many different areas. For example, he studies catalysis, which is about making chemical reactions happen faster. He also works in mineralogy, which is the study of minerals.
Understanding Material Defects
One of Sir Richard's big achievements is understanding defects in materials. Imagine a perfect building block structure. A defect would be a missing block or an extra block. In materials, these are missing or extra atoms.
These tiny defects can change how a material works. They can make materials have special electrical or chemical properties. Sir Richard's work helps scientists understand why these materials act differently.
Insights into Catalysts and Solids
His research has given us a lot of information about industrial catalysts. These are substances that speed up chemical reactions. Many of these catalysts are microporous materials or metal oxides. Think of them like tiny sponges with many holes.
Sir Richard also showed how powerful computer simulations are. These simulations can predict the structures of complex solids. They can also predict the structures of silicates, which are important minerals found in rocks. Thanks to his work, these computer methods are now used all the time in science.
Awards and Special Recognition
Sir Richard Catlow has received many awards for his important work.
- In 2004, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
- He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC).
- In 2014, he won the Gerhard Ertl Lecture award in Berlin, Germany.
- In 2017, he was elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.
- In 2020, he received the Faraday Lectureship Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry. This is a major award for chemists.
- Also in 2020, he was made a Knight Bachelor. This means he can use the title "Sir" before his name. He received this honor for his leadership in science and research.
