New Head of Chemistry Department Appointed

In an email to Chemistry students sent on 19 March, Professor Alan Armstrong has been named as the new head of the Chemistry Department. The current Head of Department, Professor Tom Welton, is stepping down from his role as his five-year tenure has expired, although the Department informed students that Prof. Welton will remain as Head of Department until the end of the calendar year.

The change comes during a turbulent time at the Chemistry Department, who (as revealed by Felix earlier this year) is considering a partial move to the College’s ‘Imperial West’ campus in White City.

In a further email sent on 20 March, Prof. Armstrong noted how in the time between now and the commencement of his role, he intends to dedicate time to planning the proposed new building and will be taking student views into consideration. Following the handover, Prof. Welton will remain at the department as Professor of Sustainable Chemistry.

Prof. Armstrong is currently a Professor of Organic Chemistry, specialising in catalytic organic reactions and synthesis of biologically active compounds. He has received a number of awards in organic chemistry, as well as the ‘Novartis Young Investigator Award’ in 1999 and a ‘Bristol-Myers Squibb Young Investigator Award’ in 2000-2003. More recently, he was awarded the ‘Rector’s Award for Excellence in Teaching’ from Imperial College in 2011.