With a background spanning both academia and industry, Dr Husband brings a wealth of expertise in organic chemistry, polymer science, and the analysis of complex waste streams. His work is focused on developing circular and low-carbon solutions for plastic materials, particularly through innovative chemical recycling technologies.
Dr Husband earned his PhD at the University of Birmingham under Professor Rachel O’Reilly FRS, where he developed fluorescent probes for polymer and biomolecule applications. He later held a fellowship with Professor Andrew Dove, contributing to cutting-edge research in advanced bioplastics.
Prior to joining the Innovation Centre for Applied Sustainable Technologies (iCAST), which is part of Bath Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change (ISCC), Dr Husband led the setup of laboratory facilities at Recycling Technologies, where he spearheaded R&D projects on mixed plastic pyrolysis and waste characterisation.
At iCAST, Dr Husband is driving forward industry-led and independent research into bio-based chemicals and sustainable recycling methods. His appointment at the Institute marks a significant step in advancing practical, scalable solutions for hard-to-recycle materials.
We caught up with Dr Husband to learn more about his journey, current projects, and vision for sustainability.
What inspired you to study for an MChem in Chemistry?
From a very early age I was fascinated by the “why” behind everything I saw in the world around me, and I, to the despair of my parents, constantly asked questions. I soon discovered that science offered the answers I was seeking.
My dad was a successful chemist, and seeing his passion and achievements, including developing a technology that laid the foundations for a spin out company, gave me both inspiration and a real sense of what was possible with science.
Although I initially applied to study medicine, I wasn’t successful. During a gap year working in labs in Cornwall, I realised that chemistry was the subject that truly resonated with me and could help me understand and manipulate the tangible materials and substances/processes around me.
Describe some of research projects you are currently working on.
After my PhD, I was lucky enough to become a chemist at a chemical recycling company called Recycling Technologies. Here, I developed a passion for circularity in plastics, in particular alleviating the issues surrounding plastics such as inefficient recycling and waste.
Like many pyrolysis companies, Recycling Technologies faced economic challenges and ultimately ceased operations, and this drove me to want to solve this – how can we make sure that recycling of plastics, in particular mixed plastic waste, economically viable and green?
At iCAST, I've been able to use my time to develop solutions for two main types of plastic waste. My main focus has been on plastics that currently require very high temperature and energy inputs to chemically recycle (i.e. using pyrolysis), with the goal of doing this at much lower temperature and therefore cost. I've developed low-temperature, chemically selective depolymerisation methods, such as photo-initiation and cavitation, that are also compatible with renewable electricity, unlike old technologies.
Alongside this, I have a particular exciting research project with a UK company on the recycling of rubbers, focusing in particular on nitrile gloves, a significant waste stream from healthcare and laboratory settings. Because these crosslinked rubbers cannot be remelted or mechanically reprocessed like traditional plastics, they are currently impossible to recycle. I'm developing the first chemical strategies to recycle these particularly problematic wastes.
Why should we be making plastics more sustainable rather than replacing them?
Plastics are widely regarded as a problem material, but in reality, they deliver enormous benefits to society. They are lightweight, durable and, more often than not, have a much lower environmental footprint than alternatives.
The problem is not plastics themselves, but the way we produce and dispose of them. Replacing plastics with other materials simply shifts the environmental burden elsewhere, for example through higher energy use, greater greenhouse gas emissions, or increased food waste.
If we can recycle plastics in high amounts, and make them from non-fossil resources, we will achieve, I believe, the most sustainable material for a large array of applications, helping make great stride towards minimising global warming and environmental harm.
As an incoming Fellow, what are your goals for your role at the ISCC?
As an incoming Fellow, my goal is to establish an independent research programme that advances sustainable solutions for hard-to-recycle materials, and help strengthen work towards low carbon materials.
I also see my role at the ISCC as a chance to build bridges between different disciplines in academia and with industry, ensuring that cutting-edge science can create real technologies for climate change mitigation.
What opportunities do you foresee for collaboration across ISCC’s three themes (Sustainable Chemical Technologies, Sustainable Systems, Social Transformations)?
To deliver impactful solutions and research that will drive real-world change in a topic as complex as sustainability, our individual research must take the form of a collective effort that considers system-wide effects and brings different experts together. For example, innovations in sustainable chemical technologies can only achieve their full impact when evaluated within broader sustainable systems that account for resource flows, energy use, and circularity.
At the same time, social transformations are essential to ensure that these technologies are adopted, trusted, and aligned with societal priorities. By bringing these together, we can design new chemistries with a clear understanding of their system-wide consequences and embed them within the social and policy frameworks that enable real-world implementation.
In what ways are you engaging with industry and policymakers?
Industry partnerships are key to my current research portfolio, and most of these have arisen through my work at iCAST.
I'm collaborating with industrial partners on projects such as the low-temperature recycling of acrylic glass, the recycling of nitrile rubber gloves used as PPE when handling hazardous materials, and the sustainable catalytic upgrading of waste biomolecules into valuable chemical precursors. These companies, particularly start-ups, are striving for innovative solutions that deliver real-world sustainability improvements, and we have found an exciting space bridging the gap between state-of-the-art academic research and industry-relevant technology.
This collaborative space is proving to be a fertile ground for developing technologies that can be implemented at scale for a more sustainable future.
What do you see as the ISCC’s key strengths in advancing sustainable chemical technologies?
Traditional scientific disciplines have been very separated; however, researchers are increasingly recognising that the most pressing problems like climate change cannot be solved by a single discipline alone. ISCC has intentionally built a team with diverse expertise across all fields, enabling it to tackle these complex global challenges. This strength directly supports my research.
Sustainability research often focuses on challenges. Where do you find reasons for optimism?
Sustainability issues can be frustrating at times, especially when progress is thwarted by a lack of investment or slow action from governments and large industries.
What gives me hope is seeing so many individuals and smaller companies, including those with whom we collaborate, striving to make a difference and drive change. Their creativity, commitment, and willingness to take risks demonstrate that meaningful change is not only possible but already underway, and it inspires me to keep pushing forward with solutions.