| Authorised form of name | Stoddart; James Fraser (1942 - 2024); Sir; chemist |
| Dates | 1942 - 2024 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Date of birth | 24/05/1942 |
| Place of death | Melbourne, Australia |
| Date of death | 30/12/2024 |
| Occupation | Chemist |
| Research field | Physical chemistry |
| Inorganic chemistry |
| Physical organic chemistry |
| Organic chemistry |
| Chemistry |
| Nanoscience |
| Activity | Education:
Local village school in Carrington, Midlothian, Scotland; Melville College, Edinburgh; University of Edinburgh BSc 1964; PhD 1966; DSc (1980)
Career:
National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, Queen’s University, Ontario (1967); Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) Research Fellow, University of Sheffield (1970); Science Research Council Senior Visiting Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (1978); ICI Corporate Laboratory, Runcorn, England (1978); returned to Sheffield and promoted to Readership (1982); Chair of Organic Chemistry, University of Birmingham (1990); Head of the School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham (1993–97); aul Winstein Professor of Chemistry, UCLA (1997); Acting Co-Director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) (2002); Fred Kavli Professor of Nanosystems Science, UCLA (2003); established the Mechanostereochemistry Group (2008); Director of the Center for the Chemistry of Integrated Systems (CCIS), Northwestern University (2010); introduced a skincare brand called Noble Panacea (2019); co-founded H2MOF, a start-up dedicated to solving challenges associated with hydrogen storage and transportation (2021); Chair Professor of Chemistry, University of Hong Kong (2023).
Medals and prizes:
Nagoya Gold Medal in Organic Chemistry 2004
King Faisal Prize 2007
Albert Einstein World Award of Science 2007
Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology 2007
Arthur C. Cope Award 2008
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016
Honours:
Kt 2007 (New Years Honours List) for services to chemistry and molecular nanotechnology
Memberships:
FRSE 2008
National Academy of Sciences 2014
Fellow of The National Academy of Inventors 2019 |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 10/03/1994 |
| Age at election | 51 |
| RSActivity | Medals and prizes:
Davy Medal 2008 for his contributions in molecular technology. His work bridges the gap between chemistry and the scientific and engineering challenges of nanoelectromechanical systems |
| Relationships | Parents: Tom and Jean Stoddart.
Spouse: (m. 1968) Norma Stoddart (d. 2004)
Children: 2 |
| PublishedWorks | RCN 28464
RCN R78883 |
| OtherInfo | Developed techniques to synthesise molecules that are connected via mechanical means. His pioneering work on the design and manufacture of an entirely new class of chemical compounds has great potential in the field of nanoscale engineering.
Among the structures Fraser found a way to synthesise more efficiently are molecular rings that interlock with each other or else are threaded along an axis. Mechanical devices such as these can be used in the construction of switches, sensors and motors that are smaller than a human cell, leaving considerable scope for medical applications. |
| Source | The Royal Society Fellows Directory, Sir Fraser Stoddart FRS, [URL: https://royalsociety.org/people/fraser-stoddart-12357/; last accessed: 16/04/2025]
The Nobel Prize, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart Facts, [URL: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2016/stoddart/facts/; last accessed: 16/04/2025]
The University of Edinburgh, Tribute to alumnus and Nobel winner Sir Fraser Stoddart, [URL: https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/tribute-to-alumnus-and-nobel-winner-sir-fraser-stoddart; last accessed: 16/04/2025]
Northwestern Now,Sir Fraser Stoddart is awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Megan Fellman, 5 October 2016, [URL: https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2016/10/fraser-stoddart-awarded-nobel-prize-in-chemistry/; last accessed: 16/04/2025] |
| Code | NA4112 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| IM/004407 | Stoddart, James Fraser | 1994 |
| EC/1994/35 | Stoddart, James Fraser: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 31/07/1990 |