Ian Manners was born in London and, after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Bristol, he conducted postdoctoral work in Germany and then in the USA. He joined the University of Toronto, Canada as an Assistant Professor in 1990 and was promoted to Full Professor in 1995 and to a Canada Research Chair in 2001. In 2006 he returned to his Alma Mater to take up a Chair in Inorganic, Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry. His research interests focus on the development of new synthetic approaches involving catalysis and self-assembly and their applications in molecular chemistry, polymer and materials science, and nanoscience. His work is documented in over 540 career publications and he has given over 360 invited lectures worldwide.
Please follow the link for further information on Ian’s research group and his recent paper in Polymer Chemistry.
What was your inspiration in becoming a chemist?
My father shared with me his great enthusiasm for science. I remember many visits to the Science Museum in South Kensington when I was very young. He was an organic chemist and had many old text books that I would read. As it turned out, I found inorganic chemistry and physics far more interesting at that time, although now my current interests are now very broad and I also find organic materials fascinating.
What was the motivation behind the research in your recent Polymer Chemistry paper?
Usually polymers and metals are regarded as mutually exclusive. In the project that led to this paper we are interested in the preparation of polymers containing high concentrations of metal centres that can be used to fabricate well-defined metallic nanostructures directly by thermal or photochemical treatment.
Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work?
It is an impressive, new, and ambitious journal and seemed a perfect venue for the work.
In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?
I have been to numerous conferences this year and not many are left – the next will the the joint Japan/Korea conference on Advanced Soft Nanomaterials in Sapporo, Japan (31 October – 1 November).
How do you spend your spare times?
I spend time with my wife, Deborah – we enjoy traveling, good restaurants and hiking, for example – and also with my daughter and her partner in Bristol. I also enjoy spending time in Canada in visits to my son, wife, and our first grandson, Rhys, who was born in July.
Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?
A non-fiction writer or composer.
