The University is honoured to welcome Philip P Power, Distinguished Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of California, Davis as a Global Chair visiting professor.

A leading authority in inorganic chemistry and one of the world’s most creative synthetic chemists, Professor Power has been connected with our University for many years. Along with strong research links with members of the Department of Chemistry, he has previously held the David Parkin Visiting Professorship and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2016.

His appointment has been funded by the International Relations Office Global Chairs programme, which is designed to attract distinguished, globally renowned scholars to engage in a programme of high-profile research activities at Bath.

Welcomed by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell and colleagues from across the University on Monday, Professor Power has arrived in Bath for the first of several Global Chair visits. He will be hosted in the Department of Chemistry by Dr David Liptrot, a Bath 50th Anniversary Prize Fellow.

Speaking at the welcome reception, Professor Catherine Montgomery, Academic Director of International Partnerships, said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to host someone of Professor Power’s international reputation. Our University has been fortunate to build excellent links with his lab at UC Davis and with institutions allied to his work in Europe, such as Graz University of Technology. We are strongly committed to growing mobility opportunities for our researchers, and the Global Chair programme provides a fantastic instrument to help us achieve this."

During his appointment, Professor Power will be working alongside his colleagues Professor Michael Hill and Dr David Liptrot on new joint research in main group reactivity. A symposium in September will bring together leading UK and European chemists in the field to highlight our University’s strong profile in main group chemistry, both in the UK and internationally.

Dr Liptrot commented: "We are very honoured to be able to welcome Professor Power as a Global Chair. Having worked with him closely over the years, our Department has been able to benefit immensely from his enduring commitment to basic research. Not only is he a world-leading academic whose work has defined the field but he has also been a wonderful mentor to colleagues around him. I am pleased that he will continue this mentorship role during the Global Chair visits by engaging with our students and junior scholars both in departmental seminars and informally."

In honour of his 65th birthday, Dr Liptrot and his colleagues have also published a themed collection, “Philip Power at 65: an icon of organometallic chemistry”, celebrating Professor Power’s wide-ranging contributions to the Royal Society of Chemistry and highlighting the impact of his work around the world.