also from QUILL, took second in the UK and 59 in the world. They are two of only
four UK chemists to be listed. The list is based on how often a chemist’s work is
cited or referred to during the last decade and the number of publications have to be
at least 50.
In 2013, the Science Museum public poll voted his research into ionic liquids as
“the most important British innovation of the 21
st century”.
As one of Britain’s most influential chemists, Prof. Seddon was awarded an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire OBE in 2015.
In fact, if you google “best UK chemists”, Ken’s name and picture are there. He
was Professor Catedrático Visitante at the Instituto de Tecnologia Química e
Biológica (ITQB), New University of Lisbon, Portugal, and Visiting Professor at
the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Among other contributions, he served as
Associate Editor of the Australian Journal of Chemistry.
Ken liked to develop short names for his Ph.D. students. They normally contained three letters. For instance, a Malaysian student Shieling Ng was called Bob,
as the word bob was sometimes used for a monetary value of several shillings (old
British currency). My name Natalia was shortened to Nat. Małgorzata SwadźbaKwaśny was shortened to Mal. Any objections were not accepted. Luckily for Ken,
Ken was a three-letter name.
Ken was not liked by everybody. He could be brutally honest if he found
scientific mistakes. He lived with high professional standards, and he expected the
same from others. Ken would forgive his staff and students if they did not know
some scientific concept and would gladly explain it to them. Ken genuinely cared
about the health of his colleagues. If he saw that someone was struggling because of
sickness or tiredness, he would send them home in a caring manner.
He also could be very humorous and welcoming to the many students over the
years. Ken was extremely generous, so we, his colleagues and friends, would wine
and dine and watch shows and go to the theatre in the best restaurants around the
Dedication to Prof. Kenneth “Ken” Richard Seddon
xiii
four UK chemists to be listed. The list is based on how often a chemist’s work is
cited or referred to during the last decade and the number of publications have to be
at least 50.
In 2013, the Science Museum public poll voted his research into ionic liquids as
“the most important British innovation of the 21
st century”.
As one of Britain’s most influential chemists, Prof. Seddon was awarded an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire OBE in 2015.
In fact, if you google “best UK chemists”, Ken’s name and picture are there. He
was Professor Catedrático Visitante at the Instituto de Tecnologia Química e
Biológica (ITQB), New University of Lisbon, Portugal, and Visiting Professor at
the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Among other contributions, he served as
Associate Editor of the Australian Journal of Chemistry.
Ken liked to develop short names for his Ph.D. students. They normally contained three letters. For instance, a Malaysian student Shieling Ng was called Bob,
as the word bob was sometimes used for a monetary value of several shillings (old
British currency). My name Natalia was shortened to Nat. Małgorzata SwadźbaKwaśny was shortened to Mal. Any objections were not accepted. Luckily for Ken,
Ken was a three-letter name.
Ken was not liked by everybody. He could be brutally honest if he found
scientific mistakes. He lived with high professional standards, and he expected the
same from others. Ken would forgive his staff and students if they did not know
some scientific concept and would gladly explain it to them. Ken genuinely cared
about the health of his colleagues. If he saw that someone was struggling because of
sickness or tiredness, he would send them home in a caring manner.
He also could be very humorous and welcoming to the many students over the
years. Ken was extremely generous, so we, his colleagues and friends, would wine
and dine and watch shows and go to the theatre in the best restaurants around the
Dedication to Prof. Kenneth “Ken” Richard Seddon
xiii