Philip Robinson

The summer I became a science journalist Mason Wakley on being a science writer intern at the Royal Society of Chemistry

Mason Wakley got on so well with his internship at Chemistry World that he is now a science correspondent. One to read if you're just starting out and curious where your career could take you, or just interested in what working at CW is like.

Halogen-bond catalysis & the future of total synthesis In this inaugural podcast episode, we explore the future of a 200-year old field of chemistry, investigate an up-and-coming form of catalysis and hear the latest headlines

Episode 2 of our news podcast will be published shortly. Missed the first one? Host Mariana Kneppers gives you the latest headlines, then talks total synthesis, followed by halogen-bond catalysis, with the guests.

Halogen-bond catalysis & the future of total synthesis In this inaugural podcast episode, we explore the future of a 200-year old field of chemistry, investigate an up-and-coming form of catalysis and hear the latest headlines

Episode 1 of our brand-new chemistry podcast is here! Host Mariana Kneppers gives you the latest headlines, then sits down for a chat with CW staff Jennifer Newton and Jamie Durrani. They first discuss total synthesis, then take on a different subject: halogen-bond catalysis.

University of Leicester chemistry department could lose at least nine staff under merger proposals Staff warn cuts would leave the department without the resources to teach Leicester's growing student population

I spoke to staff at @uniofleicester.bsky.social who told me at least 9 chemistry staff were at risk of redundancy under new proposals that would see the school of chemistry merge with the school of geography, geology and the environment: www.chemistryworld.com/university-o... @chemistryworld.com

Nobel prize in chemistry 2025: Reaction Join us for an exclusive look at the Nobel in chemistry 2025 prize-winning science - make sure you're there on 10 October

Have you signed up to watch our webinar yet? This Friday, we'll welcome a handful of experts to join us at 3pm BST for an exciting and spontaneous webinar. If chemistry is your thing, you will not want to miss this!

The 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry as it happens – live Join us as we provide analysis and commentary in the run up to the announcement of the biggest prize in chemistry

Congratulations to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi! For more reaction, follow our live blog.

The 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry as it happens – live Join us as we provide analysis and commentary in the run up to the announcement of the biggest prize in chemistry

It's the most exciting day of the year - the announcement of the Nobel prize in chemistry. Stay up to date on all the latest news with the @chemistryworld.com live blog www.chemistryworld.com/news/the-202...

Why understanding our foraging instinct is the key to using statistical tools Your inner hunter-gatherer is stopping you solving problems

Bayesian optimisation and related techniques offer great promise for data discovery. Phil Kay explains how understanding behavioural barriers and rapidly evolving tech is paramount to success. Learn more 14 October in our JMP webinar. #SponsoredContent

And I’m looking forward to publishing our coverage of that work!

Why understanding our foraging instinct is the key to using statistical tools Your inner hunter-gatherer is stopping you solving problems

Are you still working like a scientist hunter-gatherer? Phil Kay explains how understanding our instincts can help us stop foraging for data and start using statistical tools – find out more in our JMP-sponsored webinar on 14 October. #SponsoredContent

Valeria Nicolosi, Jean-Pierre Sauvage and Ben Feringa sat on stage in front of a blue screen saying Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings

Inspiring discussion today at #LINO25 with Ben Feringa and Jean-Pierre Sauvage about how molecular machines will drive innovation across many different fields.

But what is a molecular machine? Take 2 polls to help inform Iupac's upcoming definition: www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/take...

How to find out if your magnetic stirrer is affecting your results – and how to fix it Valentine Ananikov explains how the humble stirrer bar may be altering your results

Worried about your research? Check out this guide on how to identify and address stirring problems! #ChemSky

Why I returned the Faraday prize to the Royal Society Andrea Sella explains how inaction over Elon Musk's membership motivated him to act

A little more about why I returned the #RoyalSociety Faraday Prize, with a question for everyone to ponder. #Musk

https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/why-i-returned-the-faraday-prize-to-the-royal-society/4021668.article

Safety is everyone’s responsibility Maintaining culture and investment is key, especially in the absence of incidents

UK chemicals industry has learned some lessons from the past & now sees relatively few serious incidents. But when incidents are rare, investment in safety is an easy target for budget cuts, whose impact may not be seen for years, but could be catastrophic. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/safe...

The front cover of the June 2025 issue of Chemistry World on a wooden table. The cover picture is an illustration showing a busy medical waiting room filled with different women. I'm drawn on the bottom right wearing a red top and black skirt, reading a copy of a previous issue of Chemistry World

Life goal achieved: appear on the cover of a magazine

Women's health | Chemistry World Many medical conditions affect only women, or affect them disproportionately, but women's health has historically been neglected in medical research. In this collection, we look at the gender gap in h...

🚨 Today @chemistryworld.com launched a new collection on women's health. From menstruation to menopause, the articles reveal the stark gaps in medical research that have left women overlooked for far too long, and the people working to change the narrative: www.chemistryworld.com/collections/... 🔬💊

Fixing medicine’s gender gap For centuries, the default subject in medicine research and training has been the male. Julia Robinson talks to the scientists and clinicians trying to improve things for the other 51% of humanity

Historically, sex and gender have been ignored when it comes to medical research, and it's led to a big difference in our understanding of women's health. @robinson-julia.bsky.social talks to the researchers and clinicians trying to address that gap.
#ScienceSky

Rebuilding pharma supply chains Multinationals are promising huge US investments, but it's not all because of Trump's policies

Trump wants more medicines be manufactured in the US. And he’s brandishing both tariff stick and red-tape-cutting carrot.
But it takes years to build new plants, so investment decisions are unlikely to have been significantly swayed by Trump's policies.

www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/rebu...

We need to build the data that chemistry deserves - here's how we can do it Creating a purpose-built repository of standardised reaction data is a tall order, but the reward would be huge

Phil Kay has a small problem with how the chemistry community handles data. A lack of standardisation across data storage doesn't just hurt efficiency and collaboration, but potentially patient safety too. But there is hope of change on the horizon. #ChemSky #ScienceSky

Giving companies room to grow Can shopping centres and offices become urban lab spaces for innovative companies to grow and scale-up?

There is a chronic shortage of labs for UK companies that are starting up and scaling up. It’s been holding back growth for years.
Declining demand for shops and offices in cities provides an opportunity to develop new labs, but they need to be flexible www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/givi...

Take two polls to help Iupac define molecular machines An Iupac committee wants your input to guide its recommendations for key terms in the field

The 2016 Nobel prize in chemistry was awarded 'for the design and synthesis of molecular machines'. Ironically, we do not know exactly what constitutes a molecular machine. With the ultimate goal of unifying definitions and standardising terminology, Iupac needs your help!
#ChemSky #ScienceSky

It's me, briefly touching on one of the craziest things in chemistry - 'disappearing' polymorphs!

Epigenetic editors enter clinical trials New wave of precision medicines amplify or silence genes, without altering genetic code

Epi editors change the activity of individual genes without altering genetic code, and could help treat many diseases. To learn more, I spoke with scientists from four companies at the cutting edge of this entirely new type of medicine 🧪 #chemsky
www.chemistryworld.com/news/epigene...

Decoding 23andMe’s downfall DNA testing firm's bankruptcy raises data security questions

What happens in a bankruptcy when a company's main asset is its customers' personal genetic information? We're about to find out as 23andMe goes through a court-supervised sale process. Who will buy the firm's genetic databank, and what will they do with it? www.chemistryworld.com/decoding-23a...

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Get news that covers the breadth of the chemical industries with @broadwithp.bsky.social's unbiased expertise in our free weekly newsletter Industry Brief. Sign up today!
www.chemistryworld.com/newsletters

Weight loss drug supply races With official shortages ended, but the first generics gearing up for launch, companies are looking for the next generation of drugs

Official US shortages of semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound) have now ended, but the first generics are gearing up for launch in 2026 in some markets. So companies are looking for the next generation of drugs.

Come and join us! Get a head start in science journalism with the @chemistryworld.com internship this summer.

AAAS leadership speaks out against Trump administration’s attacks on science President of world's largest multidisciplinary scientific society warns that next month could be most important in history of US science

‘Let me just say this clearly: Robert F Kennedy Jr is not the right person to lead the HHS,’ Parikh...to massive applause. ‘He is not the right person because solving disease, curing disease, addressing health, requires a search for truth, requires science.’ www.chemistryworld.com/news/aaas-le...

As someone who has reported on AI for 7 years and covered China tech as well, I think the biggest lesson to be drawn from DeepSeek is the huge cracks it illustrates with the current dominant paradigm of AI development. A long thread. 1/

Looking for all your favourite writers and editors on @chemistryworld.bsky.social? I've put together a handy starter pack with them all go.bsky.app/Gd82ia9