Sir Martyn Poliakoff Kt Commander of the Order of the British Empire CChem Federal Reserve System FRSC FIChemE is a British chemist, working on gaining insights into fundamental chemistry and also on developing environmentally acceptable processes and materials.
Education
Poliakoff was educated at followed by King"s College, Cambridge graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969 and Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1973 under the supervision of J. J. Turner. While an undergraduate at Cambridge, Poliakoff met and became close friends with Tony Judt, who later became a widely known historian and writer
Career
The core themes of his work are supercritical fluids, infrared spectroscopy and lasers. He is a Research Professor in Chemistry at the University of Nottingham. As well as carrying out research at the University of Nottingham, he is a popular lecturer, teaching a number of modules including green chemistry where much of his research lies.
He is also known for his figurehead role in The Periodic Table of Videos.
In 1972, Poliakoff moved to the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and in 1979, took a Lectureship at the University of Nottingham, becoming a Professor in 1991. Poliakoff is the narrator in most of a series of over 500 short videos called The Periodic Table of Videos, which is a popular science project, produced by Brady Haran, originally intended to familiarize the public with all 118 elements of the periodic table.
The project has since expanded to cover molecules. There are also several special videos about other chemical topics.
He hit the news for calculating that the Fédération internationale de football association World Cup Trophy could not have been made from solid gold as it would be too heavy to raise aloft.
Membership
Royal Society]
His group comprises several members of staff, postdoctoral research fellows, postgraduate students and overseas visitors. Poliakoff was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2008 New Year Honours and is a member of the Advisory Council for the Campaign for Science and Engineering since 2008. In 2008, he was elected an Honorary Member of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia and a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2011.