Dr Ruth Webster - 2022 Dalton Division early career award: Sir Edward Frankland Fellowship winner

Dr Ruth Webster MRSC

Winner: 2022 Dalton Division early career award:
Sir Edward Frankland Fellowship

University of Bath

For outstanding research including mechanistic elucidation of iron-catalysed, atom-efficient transformations of main group elements.

Celebrate Dr Ruth Webster

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Enjoy learning for the joy of learning and finding out new things, rather than remembering stuff in order to pass exams.

Catalysis is essential for a sustainable future, not least because it enables us to make chemicals in a more environmentally friendly way. Allowing chemical reactions to run faster at a lower temperature makes the preparation of key chemicals easier and more cost efficient. However, there is a growing need to replace precious metals in catalysis (such as ruthenium, rhodium, iridium and palladium) with more readily available base metals (such as iron, titanium and aluminium).

The British Geological Society has listed the platinum group metals as being at severe risk because of their limited supply and the geopolitical issues surrounding them. In order to enable base metals to replace platinum group metals as catalysts, we will need to understand the mechanisms for how these metals behave in reactions. Dr Webster’s research focuses on iron complexes – seeking to understand the mechanisms of their reactions – with a view to using them as catalysts for a variety of applications in the future.

Read winner biography

Following an MSci degree at the University of Strathclyde, Ruth carried out her PhD under the supervision of Professor Robin Bedford at the University of Bristol. This research, supported by GSK, focused on the use of rhodium and palladium catalysts for directing group mediated C-H functionalisation chemistry, principally for the selective formation of aryl-aryl and aryl-halide bonds.

In 2011 Ruth was awarded a Government of Canada Commonwealth Research Fellowship to undertake postdoctoral research with Professor Laurel Schafer at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. This research involved the use of early transition metals, primarily titanium complexes for the synthesis of biopolymers.

Ruth was awarded a Bath Prize Fellowship in 2012 to carry out independent research in the field of catalysis, which led to her appointment as a lecturer in 2014. Ruth was awarded an EPSRC Early Career Fellowship which started in December 2017. During this time, she took a 10-month career break for maternity leave. She was promoted to Reader in 2019.

Q+A

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

I started out as a mechanical engineering undergraduate and realised that the only course I enjoyed was an option course on biochemistry – that was a sign I needed to change degrees!

Who or what has inspired you?

As a Strathclyder we were taught about the work of Pauson, that being his early studies on ferrocene and the development of the Pauson-Khand reaction, and it made me so proud to be studying at a university where he taught. On top of this I was immensely inspired by some amazing lecturers I had that came from 'the same place I was from': academics that, at the time, I only knew as good lecturers, but later realised were, in fact, international leaders in their field. That really spurred me on.

What motivates you?

My motivation mostly comes from a desire to know more: "why is that happening?"
I also feel an immense responsibility to my group – I want to help them achieve whatever it is they want to achieve (papers are incredibly important, but supporting their wider ambitions is important too).

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

Enjoy learning for the joy of learning and finding out new things, rather than remembering stuff in order to pass exams.

Can you tell us about a scientific development on the horizon that you are excited about?

There has been a handful of really beautiful studies on P₂ (the phosphorus equivalent of dinitrogen) by Cummins and, more recently, Peters/Neidig. It's really fundamental, but so elegant.

What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?

Getting my independent career started in Bath after 12 months of postdoctoral research: they took a gamble and I wanted to prove that I was worthy (to be honest, I'm still trying to prove I'm worthy).

What has been a challenge for you (either personally or in your career)?

Maternity leave and coming back after maternity leave was a huge personal challenge. We have no family living near us, so whenever our son was ill (which was very often during the first two years) I tended to be the one to take time off to care for him. Academia is great because of the flexibility, but it is cruel in terms of work-life balance and expectations in terms of outputs. For me, the ripple effect of maternity leave lasted for a couple of years, then, just as I was getting back into the swing of things, the first lockdown happened! Our campus nursery closed for much longer than other nurseries in the city and life seemed almost impossible (my husband worked weekdays as normal and I would work evenings and weekends, while my husband did childcare). Having a supportive partner helps a lot!

What does good research culture look like/mean to you?

Teamwork. My group are not working 'for' me, we are working together to find stuff out. I am excited by every result and if one person in the group has a great result, it's a great result for all of us.

Why do you think teamwork is important in science?

I think the days where academics sat in ivory towers being unapproachable and all-knowledgeable are gone, or I'd like to think they are! Being able to work with experts in other areas helps advance our scientific knowledge far more than working alone.

What is your favourite element?

I should say iron, but it is a cruel element (NMR spectra plagued by paramagnetism, radical processes, the list is almost endless), so phosphorus is king.