Tom Welton named Royal Society of Chemistry’s next president

The next president of the Royal Society of Chemistry will be sustainable solvents chemist Tom Welton, head of the chemistry department and dean of the faculty of natural sciences at Imperial College London. In the second-ever election for the post, Welton beat David Rees, who is chief scientific officer of the UK drug discovery firm Astex. He will assume the new position in July 2020, replacing current RSC president Dame Carol Robinson from the University of Oxford when her term ends. Until then, Welton is president-elect of the organisation.