Ivan Parkin - Biography#

Produced over 650 publications in international journals, more than 150 invited conference lectures and International University Lectures. In the last ten years published > 300 publications. H= 67 (Google scholar).

Dean of Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at UCL. Previously head of the chemistry department at UCL for 6 years.

He has also developed a thermochromic coating that functions at room temperature, this has had enormous media exposure (a Google search on the term “heat not light” gives access to the hundred of news items on this discovery). His group have made one of the world’s stickiest surfaces for a water droplet (Wenzel hydrophobic surface) and the most potent light activated nanoparticle for the destruction of bacteria such as MRSA (now licensed to industry). His work in solid-state metathesis established the first mechanism for the process by ionic recombination. His gas sensor work has contributed to industrial products. Parkin’s work in chemical vapour deposition directly contributed to commercialisation of Pilkington ActivTM glass. This was the worlds first commerialised self-cleaning coating for glass. It works by the action of sunlight and rainwater on a window photo-mineralising and uniformly washing down dirt.

He has worked extensively on nanoparticle formation and the formation of antimicrobial surfaces. He has helped develop a new coating for use in photo- acoustic imaging.

Parkin has given more than 100 schools talks and in 2016 a Royal Society summer exhibition. His work has been featured in a range of radio and TV interviews. Twenty of his Ph.D. students now hold permanent academic positions in the UK and Europe.