Wednesday, 05 March 2025
A young scientist from the University of Nottingham has been named as a 2025 Laureate of the prestigious Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK.
Professor Liam Ball from the School of Chemistry has been has been awarded a prize of £100,000 in unrestricted funds in the Blavatnik Awards that celebrate Britain’s greatest young minds in their fields.
The Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences offer the largest unrestricted prize for UK scientists under the age of 42 and Professor Ball was chosen from a shortlist of nine finalists, representing some of the brightest young scientific minds across the UK.
Professor Liam Ball is transforming chemical synthesis by developing innovative tools for making pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals with reduced environmental impact. His pioneering work with bismuth, a non-toxic element, has enabled safer and more efficient herbicide development and drug production, including a streamlined process for the anticancer drug golvatinib.
Professor Ball has also made advancements in the synthesis of phosphine ligands, a critical tool for speeding up reactions through catalysis, making the process safer and more sustainable. By focusing on understanding reaction mechanisms. This research drives greener chemical processes, advancing medicine, agriculture, and sustainable manufacturing on an industrial scale.
It's an unbelievable honour to receive this award, which is a huge recognition of the hard work, support, and enthusiasm of so many people: my group, my colleagues, collaborators and mentors, and the incredible support staff here at Nottingham.
It comes at the ten-year anniversary of my research group at Nottingham, and will be a jewel in the crown as we celebrate our reunion this summer. I'm excited to see how we can build on what we have developed and learned in our first decade, and what discoveries lie in store for the next phase of our research.
The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists are the most substantial unrestricted awards available to UK scientists under the age of 42. Since their establishment, the Awards have recognised over 70 honourees from more than 100 research institutions. To date, the Blavatnik Awards have contributed more than £3.1 million to UK research.
Sir Leonard Blavatnik, Founder of Access Industries and the Blavatnik Family Foundation said: “We created the Blavatnik Awards to honour promising scientists, early in their careers, where unrestricted financial support and public recognition will give them the confidence to take bold risks in their scientific research that address the world’s most complex and urgent scientific challenges.”
Liam is an outstanding member of our school here at Nottingham, his passion to deliver next generation solutions to impact some of society’s most pressing challenges and his absolute commitment to scholarly excellence is inspiring to us all.
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More information is available from Professor Liam Ball on Liam.ball@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 24 in Europe and 15th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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