Varinder Aggarwal facts for kids

Varinder Kumar Aggarwal (born 1961) is a British organic chemist. He is known for his work in asymmetric synthesis. He is currently a Professor of Synthetic Chemistry at the University of Bristol.

Early Life and Background

Varinder Kumar Aggarwal was born in 1961 in Kalianpur, a town in Northern India. In 1963, when he was very young, his family moved to the United Kingdom. He grew up with his five brothers, first in Scotland and then in Nottingham, England.

Education and Career Path

Aggarwal studied at the University of Cambridge. He earned his PhD degree there in 1986. His main teacher was Stuart Warren. After his PhD, he did more research at Columbia University in the United States.

Later, he worked at the University of Bath and the University of Sheffield. He then became a professor at the University of Bristol. This is where he teaches and does research today.

Important Chemistry Research

Professor Aggarwal's research focuses on creating new ways to build complex molecules. Molecules are the tiny building blocks that make up everything around us, including living things. He works on making molecules that are important for biology and medicine.

One key area of his work is called asymmetric synthesis. Imagine your hands: they look the same but are mirror images, like a left hand and a right hand. Many molecules also have "left-handed" and "right-handed" forms. In living things, usually only one of these forms works correctly. However, normal chemical reactions often make both forms equally. Aggarwal's research helps scientists make mostly the "correct" form of a molecule.

His work also involves finding new ways to speed up chemical reactions. This process is called catalysis. Speeding up reactions can make it easier and faster to create important substances. For example, his research has helped in making a more effective vaccine against tuberculosis, a serious disease.

Aggarwal is also an expert in a special type of molecule called ylides. These molecules are very useful in organic chemistry. They help scientists create new chemical structures.

Awards and Special Honours

Professor Aggarwal has received many important awards for his scientific work. Some of these include:

• The Corday-Morgan Prize
• The Organic Stereochemistry Award
• The Davy Medal (awarded in 2019)

In 2012, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honour for scientists in the United Kingdom. It means he is recognized as one of the best scientists in the world. The Royal Society noted his amazing contributions to asymmetric synthesis and his leadership in ylide chemistry. They also recognized how his work has helped us understand many basic chemical reactions better.