Martin B Smith

Dr Martin B Smith serves as a Senior Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry within the Department of Chemistry at Loughborough University's Faculty of Science. His research program focuses on phosphorus chemistry with applications spanning sustainable catalyst development, medical technologies, and energy solutions.

Dr Smith completed his BSc in Chemistry at the University of Warwick in 1987, followed by a PhD at the University of Bristol in 1991 on "The Synthesis, Characterisation and Catalytic Properties of Nickel, Palladium and Platinum Complexes with Tris(hydroxymethyl)phosphine and Tris(cyanoethyl)phosphine." His academic journey included postdoctoral positions at Bristol, University College London, and the University of British Columbia (supported by a Royal Society Fellowship) before joining Loughborough University as a postdoctoral researcher in 1994. He was appointed Lecturer in 1997 and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2008.

His research expertise encompasses:

• Design and synthesis of phosphorus-based ligands for metal coordination
• Advanced characterization techniques including multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray crystallography
• Development of sustainable catalysts using abundant metals as alternatives to scarce precious metals
• Creation of chemosensors and functional polymers for medical and energy applications

Dr Smith actively collaborates with industry partners including Solvay (fire retardant materials research) and Sasol (homogeneous catalysis development). He participates in the SlowCat mini-CDT (Securing a sustainable fuel supply through controlled synthesis of low-dimensional catalysts), where he co-supervises PhD student Xuetong Pei in developing catalysts for butanol production from ethanol.

His significant professional recognitions include:

• CASE Studentship during doctoral studies
• Royal Society Fellowship supporting research at the University of British Columbia

Dr Smith emphasizes precise chemical characterization for catalyst development, noting that "knowing the precise chemical composition of a catalyst is crucial – we need to know exactly what the active agent is – rather than something else like dust or other impurities influencing the reaction." Outside academia, he is a supporter of Leeds United football club and enjoys playing golf.