Chemistry receives £1m gift in honour of alumnus Professor Geoffrey Wilkinson

Professor Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson

Professor Wilkinson’s legacy will live on at Imperial through ongoing studentships and a flagship annual lecture.

The Wilkinson Charitable Foundation has generously gifted Imperial’s Department of Chemistry close to £1 million, in honour of Professor Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson. Professor Wilkinson – a pioneer of chemistry and Nobel Prize winner – had strong ties with the College, as he was both a student and staff member. The gift will be endowed, meaning the funds will be invested and the annual return generated will be used to deliver the foundation’s intentions in perpetuity.

With the donation, Imperial will establish the Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Prize Studentship in Chemistry. This studentship will support full-time exceptional candidates who are commencing a PhD in the field of Inorganic Chemistry, by contributing towards tuition and maintenance costs. This will be a continuation of an annual studentship that the Wilkinson Charitable Foundation has supported since 2016.

“I think Imperial was Geoff's intellectual and emotional rock. I am pleased to know that Geoff’s legacy will be memorialised at Imperial for the foreseeable future by means of this gift.” Professor Anne Hardy Professor Wilkinson's eldest daughter

The donation is also being used to establish The Geoffrey Wilkinson Lecture in Chemistry – an annual lecture that will host leading experts at the forefront of cutting-edge developments in chemistry.

Registration is still open for the inaugural Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Lecture, which will take place on Friday 9 December 2022. It will be delivered by Professor John Hartwig, Henry Rapoport Chair in Organic Chemistry at the University of California Berkeley, who will present his lecture: Catalysing Organic Synthesis.

Opening opportunities for talented students

The Wilkinson Foundation’s gift is significant as it will enable the Department to attract top talent from all backgrounds, removing potential economic barriers.  

Professor Oscar Ces, Head of Department of Chemistry, said: “We are always looking to attract extremely talented PhD students, but PhD support can be hard to come by. Having a studentship in perpetuity – and under the prestigious Wilkinson name – will make this that much easier.

“Furthermore, having a high-profile lecture series associated with such a giant in chemistry will undoubtedly enable us to attract the best speakers from around the world. With dedicated funding, we can bring speakers to us and support their visit.”

Professor Wilkinson’s contribution to the field of chemistry was far-reaching, and Imperial feels honoured that the Foundation is choosing the College to keep his name alive. 

Professor Anne Hardy, the eldest daughter of Professor Wilkinson, said: “I think Imperial was Geoff's intellectual and emotional rock. The College gave him the freedom to do things his way, and that suited him to the ground. He was very happy there. I am pleased to know that Geoff’s legacy will be memorialised at Imperial for the foreseeable future by means of this gift.”

Celebrating Professor Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson

Professor Wilkinson is best known for his pioneering work in organometallic chemistry – so-called sandwich compounds – which led him to be named joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1973. Among his many other contributions to chemistry, he also co-wrote two of the most famous textbooks used in the field: Advanced Inorganic Chemistry and Basic Inorganic Chemistry.

His journey with Imperial began in 1939, when he enrolled as an undergraduate student in the Department of Chemistry. He remained at the College to complete his PhD, before moving overseas. In 1956, he returned to Imperial and took up the position of Professor of Chemistry, where he held his chair for thirty-two years. In 1988, he became Professor Emeritus, but his involvement with the College continued right up until his death in 1996.

“Much of our history stands on the shoulders of Professor Wilkinson,” commented Professor Ces. “We cannot underestimate the impact he had on Imperial when he was here, as well as the impact he has had since.

“Present and future students are inspired by those who came before them, so it is important to remember people like Professor Wilkinson, who made huge discoveries in the very buildings that we continue to teach and work in today. He gave so much in terms of teaching and sharing his knowledge, and we should never forget someone like him.”