Serendipity in science: how a chance encounter spiralled into a collaboration

A chance meeting at an Imperial College London workshop led two Imperial professors to leave early and tackle a complex mathematical equation. They never returned to the workshop. That moment marked the beginning of a long-standing research collaboration, multiple joint publications and, ultimately, a spinout company, quaisr.

As a follow-up to The Observer’s article entitled 'The science of serendipity', which references this particular encounter, the following interview brings together Imperial Professors Richard Craster, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, and Omar Matar, current Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and incoming Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, to reflect on an unexpected moment that changed the course of their research careers. 

Timeline | Professors Richard Craster and Omar Matar