Nina Notman
Science writer and editor
After finishing my organic chemistry PhD at the University of Bristol, I had come to realise that I didn’t have the patience required to be a good bench chemist. I started looking around for a career than allowed me to indulge my love for science while not being lab-based, which led me to join the journals team at the Royal Society of Chemistry with a focus on guiding papers through the peer review process. I was also given the opportunity to write magazine-style articles about some of the papers we published, something I relished. I then joined the Chemistry World team, first as a science correspondent and later as the features editor. In 2012, due to a family relocation, I went freelance and now write for a range of different chemistry and science education publications.
- News
Chemical weapons watchdog to add Novichok agents to list of closely controlled substances
Move marks first time any class of chemical has been prohibited since the Chemical Weapons Convention came into force over two decades ago
- Careers
Why you should look for a mentor
Manage your career proactively by seeking guidance from others
- News
Gargantuan clean-up effort after Novichok nerve agent poisoning laid bare
UK government chemists spent months analysing thousands of samples and formulating new ways to decontaminate all manner of materials
- Feature
A battery technology worth its salt
With lithium-containing batteries facing constraints on many of the metals they contain, Nina Notman looks at whether its group 1 neighbour sodium can supply the answer
- Feature
Firing up an air pollution problem
Wild fires adversely affect air quality nearby and far beyond. Nina Notman investigates this escalating problem
- Feature
Taking a leaf out of plants’ books
Learning to mimic natural photosynthesis on an industrial scale might open the door to a fossil fuel-free future. Nina Notman investigates
- Feature
Accessible science education
Nina Notman hears from some of the leading lights in the quest to make chemistry education accessible to all
- Sponsored
Why you should become a Qualified Person
What it takes to assume this essential role at the heart of pharmaceutical manufacturing
- Research
Art enthusiasts leave chemical traces of gallery visits on artwork
Many of the volatile chemicals given off by visitors rapidly stick to surfaces inside an art gallery find researchers
- Research
Glass beads offer simple solution to dispensing tiny amounts of solids
Frustration drove chemists to overcome engineering challenge slowing high-throughput reaction screening set-ups
- Feature
The battle to lose weight
Losing weight – and not putting it back on – is about much more than willpower. Nina Notman reports on the drugs trying to penetrate the complex metabolic web of hunger and satiety.
- Research
Genes that make lemons sour revealed
When life gives you lemons, mutate their proton pumps to make them sweeter
- Careers
The scientists Making Our Planet Great Again
Four researchers explain why they answered President Macron’s call to come to France
- Feature
Pass the antidote
From paracetamol to pesticides – not to mention nerve agents – there are many toxic compounds that doctors need to be able to counteract. Nina Notman investigates
- Research
New tools direct reactions at specific C–H bonds in organic molecules
Elegant catalysts offer quicker routes to complex compounds
- Feature
A taste of wine chemistry
Nina Notman talks to the wine detectives uncovering the flavour molecules in our favourite tipples
