Rachel O'Reilly is a chemist who works at the biological-materials interface, to create functional polymers and nanoparticles that mimic nature. Her research is focused at the junction of chemistry and materials science and aims to bring the complexity and precision of chemistry to the scale and accessibility of polymeric materials. She is particularly interested in the development of new nanoscale tools that enable predictable and precise construction of macromolecular architectures and enable new directions in materials science.
Rachel is also the Head of the School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham and serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Chemical Society and as a reviewing editor for Science. She has received numerous accolades in recognition of her work, including the Macro Group UK medal (2021), Corday Morgan Prize (2020), RSC Industry-Academia Collaboration of the Year (2018), Gibson Fawcett Award (2016), McBain Prize (2014), ACS Mark Young Scholar Award (2013), IUPAC-Samsung Award (2012), Hickinbottom Medal (2012) and the Meldola Medal (2007). She has been elected as a Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Professional position
- Honorary Fellow, Downing College, University of Cambridge
- Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research) and Professor of Polymer Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham
Subject groups
- Chemistry
Chemistry, materials, Chemistry, organic
