The lecture is free to attend and open to all, but registration is required in advance – book your seat via Eventbrite (external link).
Interact on social media using the hashtag #greenplastics.
Meet our new professors
Natalie Stingelin, Professor of Functional Organic Materials at Imperial College London
With seabirds trapped in multipack drink rings, and mid-ocean islands of indestructible rubbish, the idea that plastics could play a big part in a more sustainable future world might seem far-fetched. However, new smart plastics may yet rescue the reputation of this all-consuming 20th century material.
Research into so-called ‘cool plastics’ for cars and buildings could reduce the need for air conditioning and improve energy efficiency. It’s not just environmentalists who will be pleased. New plastic bioelectronics devices that interface with your body could underpin future prosthetics or even grow artificial hearts.
Whilst there is significant potential in environmental and health applications of these new materials, efforts are still required to design plastics of desired functions. One line of enquiry is to explore the potential of organic materials that can offer the same flexibility, softness and light weight but can control the flow of light, or transport electronic or ionic charges. Natalie Stingelin is a Professor of Functional Organic Materials at Imperial. In her inaugural lecture she will address the latest work to turn around the reputation of plastics.
About the speaker
Natalie Stingelin is a Professor of Organic Functional Materials at the Department of Materials, Imperial College London, UK. Prior to this appointment she conducted research at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, the Philips Research Laboratories, Eindhoven, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) ) Zürich and as junior staff at Queen Mary, University of London. She obtained the degree of Engineer in Materials Science in 1997 from ETH Zürich, and in 2001 completed her doctoral studies in the Polymer Technology Group, for which she was awarded the ETH Medal.
She has published more than 140 papers and 6 issued patents. Her current research interests encompass the broad field of organic functional materials, including organic electronics, multifunctional inorganic/organic hybrids, and smart, advanced optical systems based on organic matter. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. She received a €1.2 Million ERC Starting Independent Researcher Award in 2011.