chemistry

James Durrant (chemist)

James Durrant (chemist) is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand James Durrant (chemist) rather than just read about it. In short: James Robert Durrant FRSC FLSW (born 1965) is a British photochemist. He is a professor of photochemistry at Imperial College London and Sêr Cymru Solar Professor at Swansea University.

Key takeaways

James Durrant (chemist) belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect James Durrant (chemist) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of James Durrant (chemist) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

James Robert Durrant FRSC FLSW (born 1965) is a British photochemist. He is a professor of photochemistry at Imperial College London and Sêr Cymru Solar Professor at Swansea University. He serves as director of the centre for plastic electronics (CPE).

Education Durrant was educated at Gresham's School in Norfolk, the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, where he was awarded a PhD in 1991 for research on photosystem II using spectroscopy supervised by George Porter and Jim Barber.

Career and research Durrant's research focuses on a range of photochemical applications including solar cells, solar fuel production and photocatalysis, nanomaterials and plastic electronics. Durrant has authored over 400 publications, focusing on the charge carrier kinetics which determine materials and device function. Durrant teaches physical chemistry at Imperial College London and is involved in the SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) at Swansea University.

Honours and awards Durrant was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to photochemistry and solar energy research.

2018: Awarded Hughes Medal by the Royal Society 2017: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) for his research contributions in photochemistry of new materials for use in solar energy conversion – specifically targeting both solar cells in photovoltaic systems and solar to fuel in artificial photosynthesis. 2016: Elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales 2016: Awarded president's award for excellence in research supervision. 2012: Awarded the Tilden Prize by the Royal Society of Chemistry 2009: Awarded the Environment Prize by the Royal Society of Chemistry 1994: Awarded the Meldola Medal and Prize by the Royal Society of Chemistry

References

This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with James Durrant (chemist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what James Durrant (chemist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to James Durrant (chemist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about James Durrant (chemist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of James Durrant (chemist)

In research: James Durrant (chemist) appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses James Durrant (chemist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: James Durrant (chemist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1965 births, 20th-century British chemists, 21st-century British chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for James Durrant (chemist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study James Durrant (chemist) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what James Durrant (chemist) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain James Durrant (chemist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is James Durrant (chemist) in simple terms?

James Robert Durrant FRSC FLSW (born 1965) is a British photochemist. He is a professor of photochemistry at Imperial College London and Sêr Cymru Solar Professor at Swansea University.

Why does James Durrant (chemist) matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study James Durrant (chemist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on James Durrant (chemist).