Peter Wothers

Wothers was educated at Bedford Modern School and represented the UK at the International Chemistry Olympiad in 1987, winning a silver medal. He read natural sciences at St Catharine's College, Cambridge,{{Cite web|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-258574|title=Wothers, Peter David, (born 21 Jan. 1969), Teaching Fellow, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry (formerly Department of Chemistry), University of Cambridge, since 1996; Fellow, and Director of Studies, St Catharine's College, Cambridge, since 1997|website=WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U258574|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4}} where he received his PhD in 1996 for investigations into the anomeric effect.{{cite thesis |degree=PhD |first=Peter|last=Wothers |title=An examination of the anomeric effect |publisher=University of Cambridge |year=1996 |url=http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.627517|oclc=894607586}}{{Cite journal | last1 = Jones | first1 = P. G. | last2 = Komarov | first2 = I. V. | last3 = Wothers | first3 = P. D. | authorlink3 = Peter Wothers| title = A test for the reverse anomeric effect | doi = 10.1039/A804354J | journal = Chemical Communications | issue = 16 | pages = 1695–1696 | year = 1998 }}{{Cite journal | last1 = Kirby | first1 = A. J. | last2 = Komarov | first2 = I. V. | last3 = Wothers | first3 = P. D. | last4 = Feeder | first4 = N. | title = The Most Twisted Amide: Structure and Reactions | doi = 10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19980403)37:6<785::AID-ANIE785>3.0.CO;2-J | journal = Angewandte Chemie International Edition | volume = 37 | issue = 6 | pages = 785–786 | year = 1998 | pmid = 29711382 | doi-access = free }}{{Cite journal | last1 = Kirby | first1 = A. J. | last2 = Komarov | first2 = I. V. | last3 = Wothers | first3 = P. D. | authorlink3 = Peter Wothers| last4 = Feeder | first4 = N. | last5 = Jones | first5 = P. G. | title = Stereoelectronic interactions between hetero-atoms | doi = 10.1351/pac199971030385 | journal = Pure and Applied Chemistry | volume = 71 | issue = 3 | pages = 385 | year = 1999 | doi-access = free }}

Wothers has co-authored the first edition of the well-known and best-selling Organic Chemistry{{Clayden}} textbook together with Jonathan Clayden, Nick Greeves and his fellow Cambridge lecturer Stuart Warren. His two other popular works Why Chemical Reactions Happen{{cite book|last=Keeler|first=James|title=Why chemical reactions happen|year=2003|publisher=Oxford Univ. Press|location=Oxford [u.a.]|isbn=978-0199249732|author2=Wothers, Peter}} and Chemical Structure and Reactivity,{{cite book|last=Wothers|first=Peter|title=Chemical structure and reactivity : an integrated approach|year=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978019928930-1|author2=Keeler, Wothers}} written with James Keeler, aim to combine the different branches of chemistry into an integrated whole.

Wothers is also very active in promoting chemistry to the wider public, and has won prizes such as the Royal Society of Chemistry President's Award in 2011 for his outstanding contribution to public outreach, handed to him by the RSC President David Phillips.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/news/dr-peter-wothers-wins-rsc-president’s-award|title=Dr Peter Wothers wins RSC President's Award|publisher=University of Cambridge|date=7 June 2011|accessdate=15 July 2012}} He has also been responsible for organising the International Chemistry Olympiads for several years and has been chair of the 41st edition.{{cite web|url=http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/87/i31/8731notw1.html|title=U.S. Wins Gold in Chemistry Olympiad|publisher=American Chemical Society|date=3 August 2009|accessdate=15 July 2012}}

Peter Wothers has made numerous television appearances as a chemistry specialist, notably as one of the presenters in the Discovery Channel series "The Big Experiment".{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2008/April/Comment.asp|title=The Big Experiment|publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry|date=April 2008|accessdate=12 August 2011}} In December 2012 he presented the series of three televised Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, entitled 'The Modern Alchemist'.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayContent&id=00000006393|title=The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2012|publisher=Royal Institution of Great Britain|date=August 2012|accessdate=5 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909031355/http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayContent&id=00000006393|archive-date=9 September 2012|url-status=dead}}

He was a guest on Andrew Marr's Start the Week on BBC Radio 4: the episode was a Science Special broadcast on 17 December 2012. Wothers talked about modern day chemistry and science along with Ewan Birney, Sanjeev Gupta and Helen Bynum who were also guests on the show.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pbhvz|title=Start the Week – Science Special|publisher=BBC|accessdate= 18 December 2012}}

Wothers was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to chemistry through the International Chemistry Olympiad.{{London Gazette |issue=60895 |date=14 June 2014 |page=b26 |supp=y}}{{cite web| url = http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/Queens-Birthday-Honours-for-Cambridge-computer-game-boss-David-Braben-Cambridge-cancer-blogger-Kate-Elizabeth-Gross-and-charity-volunteer-Jacqui-Braben-20140613223000.htm| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140616074430/http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/Queens-Birthday-Honours-for-Cambridge-computer-game-boss-David-Braben-Cambridge-cancer-blogger-Kate-Elizabeth-Gross-and-charity-volunteer-Jacqui-Braben-20140613223000.htm| archive-date = 2014-06-16| title = Queen's Birthday Honours for Cambridge computer game boss David Braben, Cambridge cancer blogger Kate Elizabeth Gross, and charity volunteer Jacqui O'Doherty {{!}} Cambridge News {{!}} Latest News Headlines From Cambridge City & Cambridgeshire {{!}} National News {{!}} Cambridge News}} During the same year he was nominated as one of the 100 leading UK practising scientists by the Science Council.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sciencecouncil.org/content/100-leading-uk-practising-scientists|title=100 leading UK practising scientists|publisher=Science Council|accessdate=11 August 2014}} He was awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry's Nyholm Prize for Education in 2013.{{cite web|title=Nyholm Prize for Education Previous Winners|url=http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/NyholmPrizeEducation/PreviousWinners.asp|publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry|accessdate=12 January 2015}}

Wothers is featured as one of the Royal Society of Chemistry's 175 Faces of Chemistry.{{Cite web|title = Dr Peter Wothers MBE FRSC {{!}} 175 Faces of Chemistry|url = http://www.rsc.org/diversity/175-faces/all-faces/dr-peter-wothers-mbe-frsc|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923002900/http://www.rsc.org/diversity/175-faces/all-faces/dr-peter-wothers-mbe-frsc|archivedate=23 September 2017|website = www.rsc.org|accessdate = 24 July 2015}}

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Category:British chemists

Category:Fellows of St Catharine's College, Cambridge

Category:People educated at Bedford Modern School

Category:Living people

Category:Members of the University of Cambridge Department of Chemistry

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire