Stephen Mann is an eminent chemist, well known for his use of microcrystals — tiny grains of particles — to create new materials with useful properties. His work has been pivotal in enabling the design of futuristic materials, which are likely to be of considerable biological, medical and industrial importance.

Stephen’s early work involved the investigation of the structure of naturally occurring crystals (biomineralisation), and he later developed original ways of synthetically preparing similar materials. His work is inspired by the natural world and he is one of the founders of biomimetic materials chemistry — a field involving the creation of materials inspired by those found in nature.

He is currently Professor of Chemistry at the University of Bristol, as well as the Director of three of the institution’s key research centres. He has published over 450 papers and sits on the board of several distinguished journals. His awards are numerous, including the Royal Society of Chemistry’s de Gennes Prize and Medal in 2011.