Daniell Lectures

The Department of Chemistry's Daniell Lectures are delivered by internationally renowned scientists and cover a topic of current interest and excitement. Speakers are chosen not only for their outstanding contribution to modern scientific knowledge, but also for their ability to communicate the essence of their research to a young audience.

The Daniell Lecture is sponsored by the Chilterns & Middlesex branch of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

About Daniell

John Frederic Daniell was appointed the first Professor of Chemistry at King's. The first chemical laboratory was founded a few years later in 1834. Daniell remained at King's until 1845 and in 1846 the Daniell Scholarship was founded in his honour. Daniell invented the first electrochemical cell, laying down the foundations of the study of electrochemistry and hence influencing the study of Physical Chemistry. Today, the cell named after him, the 'Daniell Cell', can be found in Chemistry text books in schools and colleges the world over.

Daniell Lecture 2020

The 2020 Daniell lecture was delivered in webinar format by key-note speaker Professor Carrie Lear, and followed by an online panel discussion. Watch the lecture and panel discussion: 

Previous speakers

1995 Professor Sir Harry Kroto FRS
1996 Professor B.F.G. Johnson FRS
1997 Professor R.J.P. WIlliams FRS
1998 Professor Sir Alan Battersby FRS
1999 Professor D Phillips OBE
2000 Professor S.G. Davies
2001 Professor Dame Julia Higgins FRS
2002 Professor S.E. Gibson
2003 Professor M.L.H. Green FRS
2004 Professor S.V. Ley CBE FRS
2005 Professor S Mann FRS
2006 Professor Anthony J Ryan OBE
2007 Professor David A Leigh FRS
2008 Professor Matthew J Rosseinsky FRS
2009 Professor Steve Howdle
2010 Professor Jim Al-Khalili OBE
2011 Professor Julie V Macpherson
2012 Professor Steve T Bramwell
2013 Professor David M Rowley
2014 Professor Dame Carol Robinson DBE FRS: 'Proteins in the gas phase - my flexible friends'
2015 Professor Lesley Yellowlees CBE FRSC FInstP FRSE: 'Challenge Chemistry'
2016 Professor Tom Welton FRSC: 'Chemistry for a Cleaner World'
2017 Professor Mark Lorch FRSC: 'Building nature's nano-machines'
2018 Professor Niamh Nic Daeid: 'The Cutting Edge of Forensic Science'
2019 Professor Saiful Islam: 'Atomic-Scale Insights into Green Energy Materials (Batteries Included)'
2020 Professor Carrie Lear: 'The Climate System: Lessons from Geochemistry'