Andrew Cooper

Professor Andrew Cooper serves as Academic Director of the Materials Innovation Factory (MIF) and Director of the £10M Leverhulme Centre for Functional Materials Design at the University of Liverpool. A key architect of Liverpool's materials science infrastructure, he founded the Centre for Materials Discovery (2007) and led the UKRPIF bid establishing the MIF, cementing strategic industry partnerships like the Unilever collaboration. His leadership spanned Head of Chemistry and inaugural Head of the School of Physical Sciences (2007-2012), including service on University Council.

His educational trajectory features:

• Bachelor's degree, University of Nottingham (1991)
• Ph.D., University of Nottingham (1994)
• 1851 Fellowship & Royal Society NATO Fellowship, UNC Chapel Hill
• Ramsay Memorial Research Fellowship, University of Cambridge
• Royal Society University Research Fellowship, University of Liverpool (1999)

Cooper pioneers the fusion of computational prediction, robotics, and experimental chemistry to develop revolutionary materials. His research centers on organic and supramolecular materials for energy production and molecular separation, with breakthroughs in porous liquids (Nature 2015) and autonomous 'robot chemists' that integrate AI to discover materials beyond conventional methods. This work drives his ERC Advanced grant (RobOT, 2012) and spin-out company Porous Liquid Technologies (2017), emphasizing high-throughput methodologies and step-change property discovery through computational-experimental synergy.

His exceptional contributions are recognized by:

• Election to the Royal Society (2015)
• Hughes Medal (2019)
• RSC Interdisciplinary Prize (2021)
• Thomson Reuters Top 100 Materials Scientists (2011, 2014)
• Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in Chemistry (2017)

Cooper secures transformative research funding including the Leverhulme Centre directorship and ERC Advanced grant, while co-founding Porous Liquid Technologies to commercialize porous liquids. His leadership extends to Editor-in-Chief of Chemical Science and strategic international appointments as Consultant Professor at Huazhong University of Science & Technology (2015) and Honorary Professor at East China University of Science & Technology (2017). He champions research culture emphasizing diversity, collaboration, and work-life balance.

The Materials Innovation Factory under his direction integrates robotics, AI, and chemistry in a state-of-the-art facility accelerating materials discovery. His team's 'robot chemist' platform represents a paradigm shift, evolving toward systems that understand optimization goals rather than merely executing tasks, with profound implications for energy and sustainability challenges.