David Leigh (scientist)
| David Leigh | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Alan Leigh May 31, 1963 Birmingham, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Fields | Organic chemistry |
| Institutions |
University of Manchester University of Edinburgh University of Warwick |
| Alma mater | University of Sheffield (BSc, PhD) |
| Thesis | The synthesis and properties of novel and natural macrocyclic trichothecenes (1987) |
| Doctoral advisor | Fraser Stoddart |
| Known for | Catenanes, Rotaxanes, Molecular knots, Molecular machines |
| Notable awards |
FRS FRSE Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology (2007) Royal Society Research Professor (2016) |
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Website www |
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David Alan Leigh (born 1963)FRS FRSE FRSC is a British chemist, Royal Society Research Professor and, since 2014, the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry in the School of Chemistry at the University of Manchester. He was previously the Forbes Chair of Organic Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh (2001-2012) and Professor of Synthetic Chemistry at the University of Warwick (1998-2001).
Leigh was educated at Codsall Community High School and the University of Sheffield.
He is noted for the development of new methods to construct rotaxanes, catenanes and molecular knots and for the invention of some of the first synthetic molecular motors and functional nanomachines. Using mechanically-interlocked molecular architectures he prepared a novel molecular information ratchet that employs a mechanism reminiscent of Maxwell's demon (although it requires an energy input and so does not challenge the second law of thermodynamics).
He has developed a rotaxane based photoactive molecular switch with the capability of changing the hydrophobicity of a surface and thus causing small droplets of liquid to move "uphill," against the force of gravity.
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Wikipedia