Professor Colin Pulham, an expert in high-energy materials and head of the School of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, paid a working visit to Tomsk State University. Following the visit, themes for joint research projects of TSU and Edinburgh University were defined and an agreement on the exchange of students and teachers was reached.
- In September 2016, I visited TSU at an international conference on high-energy materials, met with scientists, and realized how many opportunities for effective collaboration there are, - said Colin Pulham. - Previously, we worked only with the group of Professor Alexander Vorozhtsov, head of the High-Energy and Special Materials Research Laboratory. Now we have applied together for a grant from the British Embassy to support our joint research.
Colin Pulham said that the Russian-British project focuses on the development of new technologies aimed at neutralizing dangerous chemical and biological substances. These technologies can be applied in manmade disasters and for providing protection from terrorist threats.
– During the visit I was able to communicate with my colleagues, chemists at TSU - says Colin Pulham. – With Yuri Slizhov, the dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, and Professor Irina Kurzina I visited the laboratories of the Faculty and met with scientists and students. I am impressed! I will definitely invite TSU graduates to my trainings and will send our students to study in Tomsk. Here it will be comfortable for them because TSU, in addition to its high scientific level, has a very friendly atmosphere, and many people have fluent English, which is important for our students.
According to Colin Pulham, he is especially interested in biopolymers synthesized in the Laboratory of Polymers and Composite Materials and the possibility of their use for targeted delivery of drugs to the affected organ. Chemists at the University of Edinburgh are ready to be involved in the research in this area.
Following the visit, the study of high-energy materials and systems, the creation of new high-strength alloys, and the development of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials, including for use in extreme conditions, have been identified as priorities for collaboration between the two universities.
In addition, the TSU and the University of Edinburgh scientists will conduct joint research in environmental chemistry and interact in creating highly effective sorbent materials for cosmetic chemistry, the hydrometallurgical industry, and land remediation.
The development of new materials and the study of their properties are priorities, the development of which involves two Strategic Academic Units (StrAUs): Institute of Biomedicine (IB) and Institute of Smart Materials and Technology (SMTI), which unite leading Russian and international scientists.