Award for world-leading chemist

26 Jul 2012

A world-leading inorganic chemist, whose career has spanned more than 60 years, has been awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award from the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Professor Alan Cowley’s research on compound inorganic materials in semiconductors – whose impact can be seen every day, when lasers scan your shopping at the supermarket checkout – began back in the 1980s. This work is supported by a number of patents including one filed as recently as last year.

Professor Cowley, who currently holds the Robert A Welch Chair in Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin, is on the Technical Advisory Group of the Renewable Energy Foundation and is a Scientific Advisor for Materia Incorporated.

A Fellow of the Royal Society in 1988, he has published more than 600 articles in scientific journals and is the editor of the definitive series "Inorganic Chemistry". In 2009 he was awarded the American Chemical Society Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry.