MChem Graduate wins History of Chemistry Prize

Congratulations to Naman Kochar, seen here receiving the 2021 Oxford History of Chemistry Part II Prize from Professor Frank A J L James, Chairman of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry (SHAC). Image courtesy of Anna Simmons

The SHAC Part II Prize is awarded for an excellent history of chemistry thesis submitted for Part II of the MChem degree at the University of Oxford.  Naman, who graduated in 2021 with a First Class MChem from University College, received his award at the SHAC Summer Event in Chelsea Physic Garden on Friday, 17 June 2022.

Naman’s thesis, “Making A Nobel Laureate: Reappraising The Life And Career Of Cyril Norman Hinshelwood,” offered a highly original account of the circumstances that enabled Hinshelwood’s outstanding studies in chemical kinetics and reaction mechanism, work that was recognized by the 1956 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.  It was supervised by Dr Catherine M Jackson, Associate Professor of the History of Science, and Professor Claire Vallance, Professor of Physical Chemistry.