Andrea Sella

Andrea Sella (born February 1961) is a chemist and broadcaster based at University College London where he is a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry.

Andrea Sella
Born1961
Milan, Italy
NationalityItalian
Occupation(s)Chemist, educator and broadcaster
Children2
AwardsRoyal Society Michael Faraday Prize (2014)
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity College London
ThesisOrganometallic Chemistry (1986)
Doctoral advisorMalcolm Green

He studies rare-earth metals[1] and collaborates with several research groups on hydrogen storage, carbonitrides, and nanotube insertion chemistry. He has been involved in numerous television documentaries, including the 2010 BBC documentary Chemistry: A Volatile History, which was nominated for the 2010 British Academy Television Awards in the category Specialist Factual.[2] In 2014 he presented "My Family and other Ibex"[3] and "Urine Trouble: What's in our Water"[4] on BBC Radio 4. He has been a guest on Melvyn Bragg's In Our Time and appeared regularly on radio programmes like Start the Week, Weekend, Newshour, the Today Programme and the Infinite Monkey Cage. He has been consultant and contributor for the BBC World Service's series "Elemental Economics" presented by Justin Rowlatt.[5]

Early life

He was born in Milan, Italy, in 1961, but grew up in New York, USA, and Nairobi, Kenya.

He studied chemistry at Trinity College, University of Toronto, as an undergraduate and started research for a PhD under Professor Robert H. Morris on molecular hydrogen compounds. He completed a PhD in Chemistry from 1986-90 at Balliol College, Oxford studying with Professor Malcolm Green.

Career

He was appointed Lecturer at UCL in 1990. He was awarded an EPSRC Senior Media Fellowship from 2007 to 2012. He was promoted to Professor in 2012. His research interests include the molecular chemistry of the lanthanides, the confinement of elemental phosphorus inside carbon nanotubes, and the synthesis and properties of layered carbonitrides.

His monthly column in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Chemistry World, "Classic Kit", with guest contributions by his Masters student, Talitha Humphrey, explores the history of chemistry through the lens of scientific apparatus.[6]

He is also well known for science demonstrations for both school children and adults.[7] He sits on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Cheltenham Science Festival.

He was awarded the 2014 Michael Faraday Prize from The Royal Society for "his excellent work in science communication".[8]

Since February 2014, he has been a frequent guest speaker in a BBC World Service radio programme called "Elements".[9] He explains how chemical elements behave, react, and how they are used. In the programme that aired on 16 September 2016 featuring thorium, he temporarily replaced Justin Rowlatt as the host.[10]

He has also presented several programmes on BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service.

References
  1. "BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific, Andrea Sella". Bbc.co.uk. 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  2. "Andrea Sella". IMDb.
  3. "BBC Radio 4 Extra - My Family and Other Ibex".
  4. "BBC Radio 4 - Urine Trouble: What's in Our Water".
  5. "Elemental Economics". Bbc.co.uk. 2015-01-23. Retrieved 2015-01-23.
  6. "Classic Kit | Chemistry World". Rsc.org. June 2010. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  7. Nina Notman. "Pied Piper of chemistry | Chemistry World". Rsc.org. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  8. "UCL scientists honoured by Royal Society". University College London. 2014-08-24.
  9. "Elements - BBC World Service". BBC. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  10. "Thorium (Th), Elements - BBC World Service". BBC. Retrieved 2016-09-18.


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