Graduate wins prestigious Salters’ Award

Stewart Holloway, MChem Medicinal Chemistry graduate has won a 2021 Salters' Graduate Award.

The Salters’ Graduate Awards celebrate the achievements of undergraduate students in chemistry and chemical engineering. Each year the Salters’ Institute offers up to ten graduate awards, each of £1,000, to final-year UK undergraduates who are set to achieve a first class honours degree. 

Candidates are nominated by their university’s chemistry or chemical engineering department and those shortlisted are interviewed by a panel of academics and industry figures. Award winners must demonstrate the potential to occupy a leading position in public life through employment in the chemical or related industries. They are also assessed on their intellectual abilities, capacity to initiate and communication skills.

Stewart Holloway said, “Confirming Leeds as my university of choice was an easy decision! I remember the open day clearly, accompanied by the excited and interested lecturers and students. This was reflected throughout the duration of my 4 year degree.

The School of Chemistry at Leeds has provided me with the support and resources that I am ultimately proud to admit has enabled me to achieve this prestigious Salters’ Graduate Award. Not only has my time spent with the staff and students been insightful and educational, but it has developed me into the lifelong learner I am today. Something I hope to continuously translate amongst my peers to invigorate their drive to pursue each one of their goals as they would with me.

Structured in a way that allows both academic and interpersonal development, the course structure at Leeds has opened doors that have enabled me to pursue further developmental opportunities. I have been able to supplement my experience in the field of Medicinal Chemistry through undertaking a placement at GSK, as well as a funded summer drug delivery polymer internship with Dr Paul Thornton. The University of Leeds has also provided me multiple opportunities to integrate myself within other cultures, opportunities I wouldn't have even considered were available to me prior to applying! Two examples are my exciting summer study abroad in Hong Kong and the developmental Leeds to South Korea Leadership Programme.

The School of Chemistry at Leeds has provided me with the support and resources that I am ultimately proud to admit has enabled me to achieve this prestigious Salters’ Graduate Award. Not only has my time spent with the staff and students been insightful and educational, but it has developed me into the lifelong learner I am today.

I would like to give my special thanks to Dr Richard Foster, for being my Organic Chemistry tutor and supervisor at GSK and during my master's project; Dr Julia Lehman for propping me up and keeping me grounded as my personal tutor; Dr Paul Thornton, following his support in the earlier years of my degree and enabling my pursuit of the Clothworkers’ Innovation Funded summer internship; Professor Chris Rayner and Dr Chris Pask for their support during the application and interview process for The Salters’ Graduate Award as well as my year in industry; Sarah McCann, for her unrelenting succour and all of my peers who have made my time at Leeds refreshing and undeniably stimulating. Thank you!”

Structured in a way that allows both academic and interpersonal development, the course structure at Leeds has opened doors that have enabled me to pursue further developmental opportunities.

Stewart graduated with a MChem degree in Medicinal Chemistry in 2021, and during his 4th year, he was part of the Foster Research group, working on a project to design and optimise novel inhibitors of the m-Pro protease of  SARS-COV-2 as novel anti-viral agents