Patrick Walter
News editor, Chemistry World
I came to science via making mini traffic lights, measuring the speed of falling sycamore seeds and brewing fine ‘perfumes’ from whatever could be dug up from the garden. These unorthodox projects eventually led to a course studying biochemistry at Bristol to indulge my interest in science. Here I found that I had more of a flair for writing about science than actually doing it, after some spectacularly unsuccessful afternoon practicals!
After stints working on science journals, writing for society newsletters and editing and writing jobs with the magazine Chemistry & Industry I joined Chemistry World. Writing for the magazine has given me a wonderful opportunity to meet childhood heroes and some of the best scientists in the world. Telling the world about their work is not only great fun, but also matters. A scientifically literate public and body politic is vital if we expect evidence to play a greater role in policy-making.
OpinionIf the UK wants growth fuelled by R&D, universities need relief now
The spending review has left universities struggling with deficits with few options but to hope for good news
OpinionCan scientific curiosity and pressure to work long hours be balanced with well-being?
Younger researchers must beware the trap that sees their scientific fervour take over their lives
News‘I worked on it little by little, with the help of a beer’: Making MOFs out of paper
Chemistry World talks to Ryo Horikoshi about engaging students with chemistry concepts using his stunning paper models
NewsHow to make metal–organic frameworks and cages out of paper
Ryo Horikoshi shows us how to make amazing supramolecular models to inspire students
OpinionQuality research under threat as budgets are being squeezed
Researchers are once again being asked to turn less into more
NewsThey break it, we all pay for it
GK Chesterton’s legacy goes beyond his Father Brown detective novels and explains why tearing down institutions harms us all
OpinionPutting research on the chopping block risks mortgaging countries’ futures
Many countries in the global north are taking a short-sighted approach to their science budgets
NewsMaterials strategy for UK needs chemistry to succeed and create new industries
Ten-year plan proposed by Henry Royce Institute aims to boost productivity and support the circular economy
OpinionPublic inquiry into Novichok poisonings hopes to shed light on murky events
The investigation into the Amesbury poisonings let the public see the importance of forensic chemistry
NewsThe 2024 Nobel prize in chemistry as it happens – live
Join us as we follow all the developments in the run-up to the awarding of chemistry’s biggest prize
NewsTwelve Nobel laureates tell us about winning chemistry’s biggest prize
Winners from the last two decades look back on the day a call from Stockholm changed their lives
NewsWith departments and courses facing closures UK chemistry needs a new hero
Harry Kroto’s star status helped to save the subject 20 years ago
OpinionScience needs to get its house in order when it comes to energy use and waste
Labs have an outsized environmental footprint but solutions are within reach
OpinionRemembering Flixborough: 50 years on from one of the chemical industry’s deadliest disasters
The legacy of one of the UK’s worst industrial accidents is a safer industry
OpinionHumphry Davy’s whole story – warts and all – deserves to be told
Offensive comments about other races and cultures are part of his legacy too
NewsWhat’s the most expensive piece of glassware you ever broke? Chemists share their stories
Question on social media strikes a chord as scientists share their smashing tales
NewsFive of our favourite Christmas chemistrees from 2023
Students and scientists have been getting festive again at schools and labs around the world
OpinionOne year on from ChatGPT’s launch does it offer hope or hype for science?
Chatbots could help chemists but their limitations need to be understood
OpinionThe PFAS problem in everyone’s back yard
Communities around the world will have to get to grips with a new pollution problem that will cost billions to address
NewsThe 2023 Nobel prize in chemistry as it happens – live
Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov win chemistry Nobel for quantum dots