Neil Withers
I joined Chemistry World in June 2012 after spending four years as an associate editor on Nature Chemistry.
This is my second stint at the Royal Society of Chemistry, having started work here in July 2004 just a week after my PhD viva! I worked in a variety of roles in my first four years at the RSC, from a technical editor on Journals of Materials Chemistry and Soft Matter to editor of Chemical Technology.
I commission and edit the features in Chemistry World, and contribute to the other areas of the magazine as need arises. I have a PhD in solid-state inorganic chemistry from the University of Durham, where I also did a four-year chemistry degree.
OpinionThe end of a long race?
The finishing line of the Covid-19 pandemic may be in sight, but we mustn’t stop running just yet
- Opinion
Bottling summer lightning
Our features editor reflects on how nature’s sound and light show affects the atmosphere, and the long track to harness fusion
- Opinion
An idea that clicked
Bioorthogonal reactions – doing chemistry inside living cells without blasting everything in sight – are no mean feat
- Opinion
Because it isn’t there
Why do chemists do what they do? The underlying philosophy for many of us is the same as it has been for centuries
- Opinion
Picturing the future
If we don’t embrace the vision of a sustainable future, who will bear the climate costs?
- Opinion
Depositing hope for the future
The rise of ChemRxiv might mean that chemists can tackle thornier cultural problems
- Opinion
Springing up from the soil
Can we fix nitrogen for plants – and the problem of nitrogen pollution?
- Opinion
Business as usual?
The pandemic has shown that we can react quickly to complex problems – can we do it to avert a climate crisis?
- Review
Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood
20 years after it was first published, Oliver Sacks’ memoir remains a popular chemistry classic – and for good reason
- Podcast
Book club – Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks
We celebrate 20 years of a popular chemistry classic – written by neurologist
- Review
TV series: The Salisbury Poisonings
A gripping, fact-based drama about the poisoning of a former Russian spy, showing eerie parallels to the current coronavirus pandemic
- Opinion
Water funny liquid
Raise a glass to the essential ingredient to life, of endless fascination to chemists
- Opinion
A dedicated follower of slow fashion
Our features editor has some clothes that are nearly old enough to vote
