Trinity College Dublin

Funding Partners

Prof. Sylvia M. Draper

Prof. Draper and her research team focus on introducing new functionality in molecular systems. Their work encompasses many topical areas in inorganic chemistry including ligand design, coordination chemistry, molecular switching, supramolecular aggregation and control. Their expertise in synthetic organic chemistry and light emitting materials gave rise to the generation of soluble heteroatom graphenes which exhibit tunable fluorescence and discotic liquid crystalline behaviour, and that find application in opto-electronics.

Prof. Sylvia Draper graduated from the University of Exeter (1:1) in 1988. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 1991, working with Dr. C. Housecroft and since 1993, after a short PD fellowship with Prof. D. Cardin, has worked as a lecturer, fellow and now associate Professor in Inorganic Chemistry in Trinity College Dublin. Prof. Draper was a recipient of both Provost Teaching and national NAIRTL awards for excellence in teaching (2008), and held the position of Head of Discipline in Inorganic and Synthetic Materials from 2003-11. Prof. Sylvia Draper has held the position of Head of School of Chemistry since 2013.

Curriculum Vitae

Career Profile (Education and Employment)

2013   Head of School of Chemistry, University of Dublin, Trinity College, (TCD)

2005   Associate Professor, TCD

2004   Head of discipline, Inorganic and Synthetic Materials Chemistry, TCD

2002   Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, TCD

2001   TCD research fellow, accelerated promotion

1996   C. Chem. Professional Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry

1993   Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry, TCD

1992   Postdoctoral Researcher, TCD (supervisor: Prof. D. J. Cardin)

1991   Ph.D. University of Cambridge (supervisor: Prof. C.E. Housecroft)

1988   B.Sc. (1:1) Chemistry, University of Exeter

Teaching Awards

    2008    Provost’s Teaching Award

    2009    National award for excellence in the Integration of Research and Teaching (NAIRTL)

Research Funding

•Partner in two E.U. programmes (BRITE/EURAM and MARIE CURIE), P.I. of single-site TOK award and a holder of over 35 research grants in the last 10 years.

•Raised over €5 million from national and international funding sources and a further €1.5 million (P.I. portion only) in collaborative projects since 2003.

Representative Projects (as sole P.I.)

1.‘Compound Interest: Multiple Outputs from Light-Emitting Materials’ 2011-2016: SFI PI 10/IN.1/I2974, 380 k€

2.‘When Chemistry Stacks-Up: A Bottom-Up Approach To Functional Molecular Graphenes’ 2009-2013: SFI RPF 09/MTR2366, 170 k€

3.‘From Propellers to Stacks – New Metallated Architectures in the Design of Innovative, Functional and Responsive Materials’: researching the supramolecular and ligand properties of heteroatom propeller polyphenylenes’ 2006 – 2010: SFI 05PICA-819 Career Advancement Award 595 k€

4.‘Smart Molecules for Super Materials’ 2006-2010,  Marie-Curie ToK development grant FP6 – MKTD-014472, 960 k€

Research Highlights

•Nine poster prizes and one presentation award to research group members in international and national conferences e.g. SMART Surfaces Conference 2012 Intel/SFI poster award to Lankani Wijesinghe, ‘“Evaluating Communication Pathways Between Polyaromatic Frameworks and Metal Centres”: Undergraduate research awards to 3 SURE hosted students.

•Research Features: e.g. Chem Eng. News 2002 and 2003, SFI research profile (2009).

•MKTD-TOK-SMART selected as one of ‘75 success stories’ in EU FP6 Fostering Collaboration ‘Marie Curie Actions – Inspiring Researchers’ Smart p 44-46

•International Host: e.g. Prof J. Zhao (Dalian, Institute of Technology, 2012, ETS Walton Professor, 11/W.1/E2061, 24 k€), Prof S. Perera (Open University of Sri-Lanka, 2013).

•Founding member of CSCB (since 2006) and associate P.I. CRANN (since 2007)

•Current group: Seven postgraduate, One postdoctoral researcher.

•Supervised to completion seven M.Sc. and sixteen Ph.D. research graduates (since 1993).

•International collaborative network: e.g. Profs. A. Weller (Oxford), H. Burrows (Coimbra, Portugal), T. Gandolfi and Dr. Renald Schaub (St. Andrews)

Recent Commercialisation Activity

•EI Research Innovation Award: Smart Molecules for Super Materials

•Consultancy for Irish Industry: McGhan Ltd., (silicon implants), Chemical Analysis Ltd. (Fe(II)/Fe(III) analysis), Isopharm plc. (chemical characterization and analysis) Harris Semiconductors Ltd (metal processing), patent and legal defence work, research collaboration engagement with Bayer, Intel, Seagate, BASF.

•2013 MTA with University of St Andrews: Functional Graphene Development

Synergistic Activities

•Invited member of assessment panels: FORBAIRT and ENTERPRISE IRELAND Basic Research Grants (1996-9), E.I./IRCSET Basic Research Grants (2002), E.I. international collaborator scheme, EU evaluator FP6/FP7 MC networks (2010), L’Oreal Women of Science (2011-13), RSC Inorganic Dalton Division awards (2012/4), ERC-PE5 (2011, 2013).

•Referee for R.S.C., A.C.S., Wiley and Elsevier journals: e.g. J. Am. Chem. Soc., Chem. Eur. J., Chem. Commun., Adv. Mater., Dalton Trans., Inorg. Chem., Organometallics, Polyhedron, Cryst. Eng. Comm.,

•Conference organisation e.g. Irish Inorganic Symposium Series (2010 onwards), EuroVariety-2013, 65th ICI Irish Universities Chemistry Research Colloquium (2013), Women in Chemistry (2013).

•Membership of professional bodies: RSC, WITS and Nanotech Ireland since 2000, WISER 2003 – strategic committee, founder of FEMCAN (2012)

•International Consultant: Virtual Graphene Centre (Bath/Exeter) EPSRC 2011

National and International Lectures

•Over thirty national and international lectures and departmental seminars in the last five years, including several Invited, Plenary and Keynote lectures e.g. ISMSC-2012 (Keynote, Dunedin, New Zealand), RSC CC Meeting 2009 (Leeds), CIMTEC-2008 (Sicily),.

Selected Outreach and Public Dissemination Activities

•Script writer and consultant for Agtel Independent Television and schools media production – European Space Agency videos (Chemistry in the absence of Gravity, Chemistry At Home)

•National media: RTE Radio 1 – Pat Kenny/Sean O’Rourke Live – nine presentations 2011-2013 – illustrating the societal importance of Chemistry education and research (podcasts available on RTE playback).

•Public Engagement: e.g. Winner of the academic Raft Debate (TCD, Philosophical Society, 2012), RDS Live Series: demonstration lecture awards (1994-1996), College Open Day presentations, eight national and secondary schools visited in 2013.

•2013 Recipient of Discover Science and Engineering Award (Interface: 3D-Kits for research engagement of secondary school science students, 5k€, with Paula Colavita), College Civic Engagement, Equality and CAPSL funding (e.g. 2009 Virtual Spectroscopy).