George Britovsek

Professor George Britovsek (FRSC) is a leading figure in catalysis and sustainable carbon management at Imperial College London. As Director of the MRes in Catalysis & Engineering and Head of Teaching in Inorganic Chemistry, he bridges academic leadership with cutting-edge research. His work focuses on transition metal complexes for converting ethylene, alkanes, biomass, and CO₂ into valuable chemicals and fuels through industrial collaborations.

• Education: M.Sc. (Technical University of Aachen, 1990), Ph.D. (Aachen, 1993) under Prof. W. Keim
• Postdoctoral Training: University of Tasmania (1994-1996), Imperial College London (1996-2000)

His research interests span:

• Selective oxidation of alkanes using bio-inspired iron complexes
• Alkene conversions to functional polymers via novel catalysts
• CO₂ valorization into polymers and cyclic carbonates
• Biomass-derived feedstocks for chemical synthesis

Recent catalysis trends highlight his work on:

• Designing Fe-N/C catalysts for epoxidation
• Developing PN3P pincer ligands for H₂ activation
• Creating degradable polyethylene via iron-catalyzed chain growth
• Modeling alternating α-olefin distributions in chromium systems

Awards:

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC)

Students & Collaborators actively engage in:

• Photocatalytic polymer degradation
• Electrocatalytic CO₂ conversion
• Functionalized polymeric materials
• 3D-printed catalytic scaffolds

His Britovsek Research Group operates at the Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City Campus, advancing both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis through experimental and computational approaches.