Mason Wakley
Science correspondent, Chemistry World
I joined the Chemistry World team as a science correspondent in January 2026, having previously worked with the team as an intern in the summer of 2025 and later as a freelancer.
After a stint in research post-university, I realised that working in the lab wasn’t quite for me and that I much preferred talking about science than doing it. My background is in chemistry, though I enjoy covering all areas of science.
In my spare time, I like to run, crochet and cook – though not all at once.
ResearchElemental sulfur found in mammalian cells for first time
Analysis suggests that there could be tens of grams of S8 across a human body
FeatureNMR spectroscopy from its origins to hyperpolarisation and beyond
From Richard Ernst’s Nobel prize-winning techniques to hyperpolarisation and in-situ battery analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy continues to reinvent itself
NewsSimple organic catalyst walks phosphate groups along sugar backbones
Inspired by nature, method is first example of autonomous mechanical motion in small molecules
BusinessScreening therapeutic peptides for ‘undruggable’ proteins
Revolver Therapeutics targets transcription factors that are hard to reach with conventional drugs and antibodies
OpinionMaking low-stakes mistakes is how we learn
Sharing mistakes helps us grow and avoid bigger incidents in the future. Please get in touch if you’ve ever made a low-stakes mistake in your career.
OpinionThe Chemistry World team shares some of its low-stakes mistakes
Have you ever made a typo, broken some equipment or made a general slip-up? Get in touch and tell us about some of your own low-stakes mistakes.
ResearchMultivariate MOFs make the case for embracing complexity
Frameworks built from multiple different metals and ligands are expanding the possibilities for materials that can do many things at once
OpinionAvtar Singh Matharu: ‘Being a visible role model is really important’
The green chemist on being authentic, having good mentors and being proud of your culture
ResearchChemists break cycloaddition ‘rule-of-five’ by simply tweaking electronic properties of molecule
Changing the substituents on a dialkene molecule influenced which bicyclic product formed during a photocycloaddition reaction
ResearchUpcycling sulfide-laden wastewater offers way to shelter chemical industries from sulfur supply crisis
Researchers suggest that method could generate a profit of up to $200 per tonne of sulfur recovered
NewsCockroaches producing energy-rich milk bag this year’s chemistry Ig Nobel prize
Could cockroach milk one day line supermarket shelves?
NewsSouth African scientists could face year in prison unless registered with national standards body, under proposed law
Researchers warn that registration offers little benefit and that the associated costs will disadvantage early-career researchers
PodcastAdvances in CAR-T cancer therapy & carbon materials’ hidden defects
What does recent success with bladder tumours mean for solid cancer treatment? And we discuss why scientists are rethinking how they assign peaks in spectra of carbon-based materials.
NewsHokkaido University graduate student dies after exposure to hydrofluoric acid
Two other students stable after receiving minor injuries during fatal accident
PodcastUK science department abolished & Ireland’s crumbling concrete
What does a new prime minister mean for UK science? Plus, why are thousands of Irish buildings falling apart?
News‘Organisations can’t solve a problem they can’t measure’: industry framework aims to improve chemical hazard monitoring
Colour-coded system could help companies benchmark progress as they transition to using ‘lower-risk’ chemicals
ResearchUranium complex smashes record for consecutive bonds between atoms
Linear complex is the first all-metal compound to have more than two triple bonds in a row
NewsChemistry can feel inaccessible to British Asian students, survey finds
Interviews with current students revealed recurring concerns about a lack of representation, difficulties reporting racism and challenges fitting in with peers
ResearchChemists may be misassigning defects in carbon materials, study suggests
Peaks in certain spectra are likely a combination of several defects, such as heteroatoms, different ring sizes and vacancies
CareersHow Robert Crapnell carved out a new role between technician and academic
The research technical manager at Manchester Metropolitan University was awarded this year’s RSC Technical Excellence Prize