Professor Philip Power is Distinguished Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of California, Davis. 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.

Hosted in the Department of Chemistry by Dr David Liptrot, Professor Power has visited Bath numerous times and provided successful mentorship to PhD and postdoctoral researchers at Bath, including facilitating exchange opportunities with his lab at UC Davis. Building on his reputation and networks, he has been instrumental in connecting leading European academics and the UK’s RSC Main Group Discussion Group, with the intent of transforming Bath into a hub of the collaborative UK Main Group network in organometallic chemistry.

In honour of his 65th birthday in 2018, Dr Liptrot and his colleagues 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.

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.

Activities at Bath

Since his appointment as a Global Chair in 2017/2018, Professor Power has visited Bath numerous times and has:

• engaged widely with academic colleagues in inorganic chemistry, developing new Bath links with his lab at UC Davis and with the European academic community, including at universities in Germany (Regensburg, Würzburg), Austria (TU Graz) and France (Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier).

• worked with Dr Liptrot to organise two international symposiums and public lectures to celebrate the strengths of organometallic chemistry at the University of Bath (in September 2018 and in June 2019). Building on Prof. Power’s reputation and networks, the events brought together leading European academics and the UK’s RSC Main Group Discussion Group, with the intent of transforming Bath into a hub of the collaborative UK Main Group network.

• invited Dr. David Liptrot to visit UC Davis in July 2018 to deliver a talk and engage with postgraduate students.

• provided mentorship to PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, enabling a CSCT graduate student, Ms Hannah Sullivant, to visit his lab at UC Davis (July 2019), while UC Davis researcher Mr Cary Stennett was hosted in the Liptrot Lab (February 2020).