Synthesis is changing in response to our modern resource conscious world. The principles of green chemistry are evolving as the interfaces and boundaries in science are less obvious, providing a new stimuli for future discovery. The invention and application of new chemical reactivity continues to be a primary driver since this opens up so many strategic opportunities for synthesis.

In 2018, Steve was awarded the Arthur C. Cope Award. This prize is awarded for achievement in the field of organic chemistry research and is one of the highest honours in the field. This was the first time the prize was given to someone working in the UK and recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of organic chemistry within the five years preceding the award. The prize is sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund and has been awarded since 1973 by the American Chemical Society. Arthur C. Cope, an influential organic chemist, is credited with the development of several important chemical reactions which bear his name, including the Cope elimination and the Cope rearrangement.

New Path Molecular a new company originating from our labs, now based on the Babraham Research Campus, specialises in the chemical synthesis of complex functional molecules using cutting edge techniques, methods and instrumentation. Their outputs are being used to validate biological processes and produce products globally in pharma, agrochem and animal health.