Gillian Reid

Gillian Reid is a British inorganic chemist and professor at the University of Southampton, known for her pioneering research in main-group and coordination chemistry. Her work has significantly advanced the understanding of low-oxidation state compounds, particularly those involving fluorocarbon ligands and elements from Group 15 and Group 16. Reid has received numerous accolades for her contributions, including the Corday–Morgan Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry, and has held influential leadership roles within the international chemistry community.

Early life and education

Reid completed her undergraduate studies, earning a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Chemistry, at the University of Edinburgh. She then moved to the University of Cambridge to pursue doctoral research under the supervision of John F. Gibson at Sidney Sussex College. Her PhD thesis, awarded in 1990, focused on the coordination chemistry of the radioactive element technetium, investigating its complexes with diphosphine and dithiocarbamate ligands. This early work laid a foundation in spectroscopic techniques and the chemistry of transition metals.

Academic career

Following her doctorate, Reid undertook postdoctoral research with F. Gordon A. Stone at the University of Bristol, working on the chemistry of transition metal complexes with boron and carbon ligands. In 1992, she was appointed as a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Southampton. She progressed through the academic ranks, becoming a Reader in 2003 and a full Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in 2006. At Southampton, she has held several key administrative positions, including Head of the Chemistry Department and Associate Dean for Research and Enterprise for the Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences.

Research and contributions

Reid's research program is distinguished by its exploration of unconventional oxidation states and novel bonding motifs in main-group and transition metal chemistry. A major theme involves the synthesis and reactivity of compounds featuring elements like phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, sulfur, and selenium in unusually low formal oxidation states, stabilized by bulky N-heterocyclic carbene or fluorocarbon ligands. Her group has made seminal contributions to the chemistry of diphosphenes and distibenes, molecules with element-element double bonds. Another significant area is the development of new fluorocarbon ligands, such as derivatives of hexafluoroacetone and tetrafluoroethylene, and their coordination to metals across the periodic table, including platinum group metals and lanthanides. This work has implications for catalysis, materials science, and the fundamental understanding of chemical bonding.

Awards and recognition

Reid's research excellence has been recognized with several prestigious awards. In 2005, she received the Corday–Morgan Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry for her contributions to main-group and coordination chemistry. She was awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry Sir Edward Frankland Fellowship in 2010. She is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and has delivered numerous named lectures, including the Nyholm Lecture for Education in 2020. Her international standing is reflected in invitations to speak at major conferences like the International Conference on Coordination Chemistry and the American Chemical Society national meetings.

Professional service

Reid has provided extensive service to the chemical community in editorial and advisory capacities. She served as the President of the Dalton Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry from 2019 to 2022. She has been a long-serving member of the editorial board for the journal Dalton Transactions and has acted as an evaluator for research councils including the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the European Research Council. Internationally, she has contributed to the scientific committees of the International Conferences on Organometallic and Coordination Chemistry and has been a strong advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion within the STEM fields.

Category:British chemists Category:University of Southampton faculty Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry