James Durrant - Curriculum Vitae#

Education and Academic Appointments

• 1984 - 1987 B.A. in Natural Sciences (Physics), University of Cambridge
  
• 1987 - 1991 PhD in Biochemistry, Imperial College London (Sup’s: Lord Porter and James Barber)
  
• 1994 - 1999 BBSRC Adv. Research Fellow, Dept. of Biochemistry, Imperial College London
  
• 1999 - 2005 Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and then Reader, Dept. of Chemistry, Imperial College London
  
• 2005 present Professor of Photochemistry, Dept. of Chemistry, Imperial College London
  
• 2009 - 2014 Deputy Director, The Energy Futures Lab, Imperial College London
  
• 2013 Sêr Cymru Solar Professor, University of Swansea (part-time)
  
• 2015 Director, Centre for Plastic Electronics, Imperial College London

Awards / Fellowships

• 1995 Meldola Medal of the RSC for studies of the 'Biophysics of Photosynthesis'
  
• 2009 Environment Prize of the RSC for studies of the ‘Photochemistry of Solar Energy Conversion’
  
• 2012-2017 European Research Council Advanced Grant on ‘Rectifying interfaces for solar driven fuel synthesis’
  
• 2012 Tilden Prize of the RSC for studies of ‘the design of materials for solar energy conversion’
  
• 2016 Elected Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales
  
• 2017 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society
  
• 2018 Hughes Medal of the Royal Society for ‘photochemical studies of solar energy conversion devices’

Key Research Outputs

• > 450 referred research publication cited, > 40,000 times, leading to an h-index of 114 (Google scholar)
  
• Over 230 external invited lectures at international conferences
  
• ‘HighlyCited’ Materials Scientist and ‘HighlyCited’ Chemist as classified by ISI Thompson 2017

Research Summary

My primary research focus is the photochemistry of solar energy conversion. Following my doctoral and postdoctoral studies of the primary processes of plant photosynthesis, I have studied a range of nanostructured and molecular materials for solar energy conversion – targeting either solar driven electrical power production (photovoltaics) or molecular fuels synthesis (i.e.: artificial photosynthesis.). My group is currently working on polymer / fullerene and perovskite solar cells and photocatalysts/photoelectodes for water photolysis. Experimentally my research is based around the use of transient laser spectroscopies to undertake photochemical and optoelectronic characterisation of electron transfer and transport processes which underlie materials and device function. Such studies are undertaken in parallel with device development and functional characterisation, employing a wide range of molecular, polymeric and inorganic materials – with the aim of developing quantitative design principles which enable technological development. At Imperial College I lead a research team of 6 postdoctoral researchers, 8 PhD students and 2 research technicians addressing on these topics, with financial support from the EPSRC, ERC, CEC and Solvay SA. This research is complimented by my leadership of the Welsh government funded Sêr Solar programme as part of the University of Swansea’s SPECIFIC IKC, which is aimed at accelerating the demonstration of printed photovoltaic technologies.