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.
FeatureFiring up an air pollution problem
Wild fires adversely affect air quality nearby and far beyond. Nina Notman investigates this escalating problem
FeatureTaking 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
FeatureAccessible science education
Nina Notman hears from some of the leading lights in the quest to make chemistry education accessible to all
SponsoredWhy you should become a Qualified Person
What it takes to assume this essential role at the heart of pharmaceutical manufacturing
ResearchArt 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
ResearchGlass beads offer simple solution to dispensing tiny amounts of solids
Frustration drove chemists to overcome engineering challenge slowing high-throughput reaction screening set-ups
FeatureThe 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.
ResearchGenes that make lemons sour revealed
When life gives you lemons, mutate their proton pumps to make them sweeter
CareersThe scientists Making Our Planet Great Again
Four researchers explain why they answered President Macron’s call to come to France
FeaturePass 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
ResearchNew tools direct reactions at specific C–H bonds in organic molecules
Elegant catalysts offer quicker routes to complex compounds
FeatureA taste of wine chemistry
Nina Notman talks to the wine detectives uncovering the flavour molecules in our favourite tipples
CareersThe radio telescopes exploring our universe
How astrochemists are identifying molecules light-years away from Earth
FeatureReaching a milestone
The decade-long process to register all chemicals used in Europe has concluded. Nina Notman takes stock of progress and looks to the next steps for chemical legislation in the region
CareersFive ways to secure research funding
How to find your financial feet as an independent researcher
FeatureIntroducing mechanochemistry
Mechanochemical synthesis offers a different way to make compounds. Nina Notman asks whether we should all get grinding
NewsLarge scale experiment probes chemistry inside our homes
Dozens of analytical instruments have spent a month observing the chemistry of the air inside a three bed house