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Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff from
The University of Nottingham has received his knighthood from His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales (12 June 2015).
The investiture ceremony followed the announcement of Sir Martyn’s knighthood in the Queen’s New Year Honours 2015.
Pictures of the ceremony are available from
Lisa Gilligan-Lee or
Tim Utton, or by calling 0115 9515798.
A global leader in green chemistry
Sir Martyn, who received the honour for services to Chemical Sciences in recognition of his contribution as a global leader in green and sustainable chemistry, was accompanied by his wife Janet and children Ellen and Simon.
He said he was honoured and overwhelmed by the recognition, which is also in recognition for him acting as an ambassador for UK Science in his role as Vice-President and Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society, which is an illustration of the esteem in which he is held by his fellow academics.
Professor Poliakoff is already a familiar face to millions of YouTube followers around the world, after he was featured in a series of videos dedicated to each and every one of the 118 chemical elements, which became an overnight sensation.
Professor Poliakoff said: “I am delighted by the knighthood. I see it as an honour not only for me but also for the colleagues, co-workers, students and technical staff who have helped me so much over the years.”
The Periodic Table of Videos
The Periodic Table of Videos - www.periodicvideos.com - which have brought chemistry to a whole new audience, were launched in 2008 and have now been viewed by more than 95 million people. In 2011 the videos earned him the Royal Society of Chemistry’s (RSC) prestigious Nyholm Prize for Education. So it is fitting that the RSC gave Sir Martyn, Lady Janet and their family lunch after the ceremony.
As well as inspiring would-be scientists and chemistry enthusiasts through a range of exciting experiments showing the properties of all the chemical elements, Professor Poliakoff has picked up his own band of faithful followers who has been charmed by his eccentric hairstyle and outlandish chemistry-themed ties.
You can see a film about Professor Poliakoff's award on the Periodic Table of Videos website.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and the winner of ‘Research Project of the Year’ at the THE Awards 2014. It is ranked in the world’s top one per cent of universities by the QS World University Rankings, and 8th in the UK by research power according to REF 2014.
The University of Nottingham in Malaysia (UNMC) is holding events throughout 2015 to celebrate 15 years as a pioneer of transnational education. Based in Semenyih, UNMC was established as the UK's first overseas campus in Malaysia and one of the first world-wide.
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