Dr David Mills selected for the Periodic Table of Younger Chemists

The School of Chemistry's Dr David Mills has been selected to appear in the prestigious Periodic Table of Younger Chemists. Dr Mills, a Senior Lecturer in the School, will represent thulium.

The news is particularly exciting because UNESCO has declared 2019 the IYPT - or International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements - and the year also marks the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the Periodic System in 1869 by Dmitri Mendeleev.

Dr Mills' award was announced at the International Symposium on Setting the Table: Women and the Periodic Table of Elements in Murcia, Spain on 11 February. The Periodic Table of Younger Chemists is a celebration of the IYPT and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), which is the guardian of the Periodic Table and responsible for naming new elements and setting criteria. IUPAC is also celebrating its centenary this year.

Beginning in July 2018 and ending in July 2019 at the World Chemistry Congress and IUPAC General Assembly, the Periodic Table of Younger Chemists will honour a diverse group of 118 outstanding chemists from around the world. Those chosen will form a Periodic Table to highlight and celebrate the diversity, dedication and creativity of today's younger chemists.

Around eight elements are being revealed each month, with Dr Mills named the representative of thulium in February. Beginning his independent career at The University of Manchester in 2012, Dr Mills has published more than 70 journal articles, reviews and book chapters, and has been awarded more than £2.8 million in grant income as principal investigator.