Julia Robinson
Science correspondent, Chemistry World
I joined the Chemistry World team as Science Correspondent in May 2023. Previously I spent eight years leading the clinical and science content at The Pharmaceutical Journal, the official journal of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, a membership body for pharmacists.
With a grounding in biology and a masters in science communication I may not be a chemist by trade but I hope to bring a wealth of knowledge about the pharmaceutical industry, drug development, pharmacology and health to the Chemistry World team.
As well as being passionate about all aspects of science I am also committed to producing journalism that is of the highest quality and accuracy and which holds those in power to account.
Testament to this, my work has led me to be shortlisted for several specialist journalism awards. And, I was lucky enough to be awarded Best Writer at the British Society of Magazine Editors (BSME) Talent Awards two years running (2022 and 2023); for B2B and news writing.
ResearchCivet coffee kopi luwak’s reputedly superior flavour may have chemical basis
Coffee beans that have passed through the gut of Asian palm civet have more compounds associated with intense tastes
NewsCardiff University scales back proposed cuts to chemistry department following consultation
Department still set to merge with two others but there will be no compulsory redundancies
NewsUKRI announces changes to simplify and improve efficiency of fellowships
Changes introduced to make fellowships easier to manage and understand
FeatureHow the pioneers of metal-organic frameworks won the Nobel prize
From wooden models to thousands and thousands of structures, Julia Robinson tells the story of how Richard Robson, Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi won the 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry
NewsThe chemistry community should ban drawing chemical structures with generative AI, chemists warn
AIs like Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT still make serious errors rendering structural formulae
News2025 chemistry Nobel prize goes to the scientists behind metal–organic frameworks
Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi take top prize for discovery and development of versatile materials with a huge surface area
NewsMedicine Nobel prize recognises discovery of protective ‘security guard’ regulatory T cells
Research explained how body protects itself from the immune system, offering new ways to treat autoimmune disease
ResearchNext generation gene editors engineered to significantly reduce error rate
Introducing mutations into DNA-snipping ‘molecular scissors’ can result in 60-fold reduction in errors
ResearchHow does Clarivate pick its potential Nobel prize winners?
Chemistry World talks to the head of research analysis at the Institute for Science Information on how they decide which researchers are producing Nobel-worthy research
ResearchTransforming plastic waste into an efficient CO2 capturing material
Upcycled amide can efficiently capture carbon dioxide from flue gases, as well as air
NewsAI helps identify over 1000 dubious open-access journals from screen of 15,000 titles
Program compares favourably with human integrity experts
NewsDiscussions begin on association of Australia to Horizon Europe
Australia considers joining 20 other non-EU countries in world’s largest research programme
BusinessUK biofuels production collapsing in face of cheap imports
Bioethanol plants closing after US tariffs removed, while biodiesel faces competition from China
NewsWhy has the EU banned a key chemical in gel nail products?
Trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide is a photo-initiator used to harden nail polish under UV light
NewsNew UK facility to turbo-charge development of novel RNA therapies
Government to invest £30 million in RNA biofoundry to accelerate therapies for cancer and genetic disorders
NewsScience content on Bluesky attracts more engagement and originality than on X
New social media site is proving better for sharing research findings
NewsNamibia’s first green hydrogen village will supply region with zero carbon fertiliser
Project hopes to supply Europe with fertiliser as renewable energy generation is ramped up
ResearchMagnets could be simple way to enhance oxygen generation on a mission to Mars
Strategy sets free gas that normally gets trapped on electrodes in microgravity during water splitting
ResearchNew class of antifungals show potent effects against priority pathogens
Coniotins, found in another fungus, is effective against drug-resistant pathogenic fungi
ResearchScientists turn to candles to make complex multi-metal nanoparticles
Method could be a simple and cheap way to make electrocatalysts with up to 25 metals