Tony Stace

Biography

Professor Tony Stace obtained a BA and PhD in Chemistry from Essex University. In 1974 he moved to Sussex University to work with John Murrell on the development of techniques for the computer simulation of elementary chemical reactions. In 1977 he was awarded one of the first Advanced Research Fellowships to be offered by SERC. The fellowship was held at Southampton University where a programme of new experiments on the study of gas phase clusters was initiated. In 1983 he moved back to Sussex University and was appointed a lecturer in 1984 and promoted to Professor in 1993. During his time at Sussex he held the positions of Nuffield Foundation research fellow, visiting scientist at the Institute of Molecular Sciences in Okazaki (Japan), and visiting scientist at the National Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research in Tsukuba (Japan). In 1995 he was award the Tilden medal and lectureship of the Royal Society of Chemistry and in 2002 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 2004 he moved to Nottingham University as Professor of Physical Chemistry. During 2009-2010 he held the position of Foreign Councilor at the Institute of Molecular Sciences in Okazaki (Japan) and in 2013 was awarded the Aston Medal from the British Mass Spectrometry Society for contributions to mass spectrometry . He currently holds a Leverhulme Trust Emeritus Fellowship. Professor Tony Stace obtained a BA and PhD in Chemistry from Essex University. In 1974 he moved to Sussex University to work with John Murrell on the development of techniques for the computer simulation of elementary chemical reactions. In 1977 he was awarded one of the first Advanced Research Fellowships to be offered by SERC. The fellowship was held at Southampton University where a programme of new experiments on the study of gas phase clusters was initiated. In 1983 he moved back to Sussex University and was appointed a lecturer in 1984 and promoted to Professor in 1993. During his time at Sussex he held the positions of Nuffield Foundation research fellow, visiting scientist at the Institute of Molecular Sciences in Okazaki (Japan), and visiting scientist at the National Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research in Tsukuba (Japan). In 1995 he was award the Tilden medal and lectureship of the Royal Society of Chemistry and in 2002 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 2004 he moved to Nottingham University as Professor of Physical Chemistry. During 2009-2010 he held the position of Foreign Councilor at the Institute of Molecular Sciences in Okazaki (Japan) and in 2013 was awarded the Aston Medal from the British Mass Spectrometry Society for contributions to mass spectrometry . He currently holds a Leverhulme Trust Emeritus Fellowship.

Research Interest

The study of clusters is concerned with how the properties of finite collections of atoms and molecules evolve into bulk behaviour. For example, how many water molecules does it take to dissolve sodium chloride, or how many metal atoms are need to achieve electrical conductivity? Techniques exist that make it possible to prepare clusters in the gas phase from almost any material, and new experiments have been devised to study their chemical and physical properties as a function of size. Current projects include: experimental and theoretical study of the solvation of multiply charged metal cations; gas phase ligand field spectroscopy; electron capture and charge stripping studies of metal complexes; and the spectroscopy and chemistry of molecules trapped in helium nanodroplets.