Rachel O'Reilly
{{short description|British chemist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Rachel O'Reilly
| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE|FRS|FRSC|size=100%}}
| workplaces = University of Birmingham
University of Warwick
University of Cambridge
Washington University in St. Louis
| alma_mater = Imperial College London
University of Cambridge
| thesis_title = Novel catalyst design for utilisation in controlled radical polymerisations
| doctoral_advisor = Vernon C. Gibson
}}
Rachel Kerry O'Reilly {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE|FRS|FRSC}} is a British chemist and Professor at the University of Birmingham. She works at the interface of biology and materials, creating polymers that can mimic natural nanomaterials such as viruses and cells. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and of the Royal Society.
Education
O'Reilly was born in Holywood and educated in a grammar school.{{Cite web|url=https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/chemistry/oreilly-rachel.aspx|title=Professor Rachel O'Reilly staff profile, School of Chemistry – University of Birmingham|website=www.birmingham.ac.uk|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-05-19}}{{Cite web|url=https://epsrc.ukri.org/newsevents/pubs/pioneer-edition-9-issued-january-2013/|title=In profile: Professor Rachel O'Reilly|date=2013|website=EPSRC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520060128/https://epsrc.ukri.org/newsevents/pubs/pioneer-edition-9-issued-january-2013/ |archive-date=20 May 2018 |url-status=dead}} She has dyslexia.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsc.org/diversity/175-faces/all-faces/professor-rachel-oreilly-frsc/|title=Professor Rachel O'Reilly FRSC {{!}} 175 Faces of Chemistry|website=www.rsc.org|language=en|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923193623/http://www.rsc.org/diversity/175-faces/all-faces/professor-rachel-oreilly-frsc/|archivedate=23 September 2020}} She studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, working with Brian F. G. Johnson on her Master's project, and graduated in 1999. She moved to Imperial College London to work with Vernon C. Gibson on catalyst design, earning a PhD in 2003.
Career
O'Reilly joined Craig Hawker and Karen L. Wooley at Washington University in St. Louis.{{Cite journal|last1=O'Reilly|first1=Rachel K.|last2=Joralemon|first2=Maisie J.|last3=Hawker|first3=Craig J.|last4=Wooley|first4=Karen L.|date=2007|title=Preparation of orthogonally-functionalized core Click cross-linked nanoparticles|journal=New J. Chem.|language=en|volume=31|issue=5|pages=718–724|doi=10.1039/B616103K|issn=1144-0546}} Here she demonstrated the fabrication of cross-linked polymer nanoparticles that were Click-ready.{{Cite journal|last1=O'Reilly|first1=Rachel K.|last2=Joralemon|first2=Maisie J.|last3=Hawker|first3=Craig J.|last4=Wooley|first4=Karen L.|date=2006|title=Facile syntheses of surface-functionalized micelles and shell cross-linked nanoparticles|journal=Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry|language=en|volume=44|issue=17|pages=5203–5217|doi=10.1002/pola.21602|bibcode=2006JPoSA..44.5203O|issn=0887-624X}} O'Reilly was awarded a 2004 Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 fellowship, and took up a research fellowship at Downing College, Cambridge, in 2005.{{Cite journal|last1=Gibson|first1=Matthew I.|last2=O'Reilly|first2=Rachel K.|date=2013-04-09|title=To aggregate, or not to aggregate? considerations in the design and application of polymeric thermally-responsive nanoparticles|journal=Chem. Soc. Rev.|language=en|volume=42|issue=17|pages=7204–7213|doi=10.1039/C3CS60035A|pmid=23571466|issn=0306-0012|doi-access=free}}{{cite web |title=Four new Honorary Fellows elected |url=https://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/news/four-new-honorary-fellows-elected |website=Downing College, Cambridge |access-date=9 October 2023 |language=en |date=19 May 2023}} At the University of Cambridge she was awarded a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin fellowship.{{Cite journal|last=Sanderson|first=Katharine|date=2012-06-06|title=Turning point: Rachel O'Reilly|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=486|issue=7401|pages=149|doi=10.1038/nj7401-149a|issn=0028-0836|doi-access=free}} She developed hollow polymeric nanocages that could selectively recognise substrates.{{Cite journal|last1=Ievins|first1=Alexander D.|last2=Moughton|first2=Adam O.|last3=O'Reilly|first3=Rachel K.|date=2008|title=Synthesis of Hollow Responsive Functional Nanocages Using a Metal–Ligand Complexation Strategy|journal=Macromolecules|language=EN|volume=41|issue=10|pages=3571–3578|doi=10.1021/ma800047r|bibcode=2008MaMol..41.3571I|issn=0024-9297}}
She joined the University of Warwick in 2009 as an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council career-acceleration fellow.{{Cite web|url=http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/G004897/1|title=Grants on the web|last=author|first=EPSRC|language=en|access-date=2018-05-19}} Her fellowship explored water-soluble responsive polymer scaffolds that contained domains for catalysis as well as responsive polymers that could trigger the release of catalysts into the media surrounding them. She was appointed Professor in 2012 at the age of 34.{{Cite web|url=https://epsrc.ukri.org/about/people/racheloreilly/|title=Rachel O'Reilly – EPSRC website|website=epsrc.ukri.org|language=en|access-date=2018-05-19}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.iupac.org/publications/ci/2012/3406/iw5_oreilly.html|title=Chemistry International – Newsmagazine for IUPAC|website=www.iupac.org|access-date=2018-05-19}} That year she was the first ever UK winner of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Samsung Young Polymer Scientist prize.{{Cite web|url=http://www.polyacs.org/AWARDS.html|title=POLY – Division Awards|website=www.polyacs.org|access-date=2018-05-19|archive-date=20 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520055319/http://www.polyacs.org/AWARDS.html|url-status=dead}} She appeared on Start the Week with Andrew Marr in 2012, where he described her as a "a chemist who does strange things with plastics". In 2013 she was awarded the American Chemical Society Hermann Mark Young Scholar award.{{Cite book|url=https://www.journals.elsevier.com/polymer/news/herman-f-mark-polymer-chemistry-and-scholar-awards|title=Polymer}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/chemistry/research-units/rachel-oreilly-group/news/2013/ror-wins-acs-award.aspx|title=ROR wins an ACS award|website=www.birmingham.ac.uk|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-05-19}} She was appointed Professor of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham in 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/chemistry/news/2017/professor-dove-professor-oreilly-join-birmingham-chemistry-2018.aspx|title=Professor Andrew Dove and Professor Rachel O'Reilly to join School of Chemistry in early 2018|website=www.birmingham.ac.uk|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-05-19}}
Alongside her research, O'Reilly is a keen geologist and enjoys travelling to volcanoes. She became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2013 and was named as one of the Royal Society of Chemistry's 175's Faces of Chemistry. In 2023 she was elected an Honorary Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge.
Honours and awards
- 2025 – Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to chemistry{{cite web |title=2025 Birthday and Operational Honours |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/104381 |publisher=London Gazette |access-date=17 June 2025}}
- 2022 – Fellow of the Royal Society{{Cite web |date=2022-05-10 |title=Outstanding scientists elected as Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society |url=https://royalsociety.org/news/2022/05/new-fellows-2022/ |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=Royal Society}}
- 2020 – Corday–Morgan Prize{{Cite web|title=Our 2020 prize and award winners|url=https://www.rsc.org/awards-funding/awards/2020-winners/|access-date=2020-06-24|website=Royal Society of Chemistry|language=en-GB}}
- 2018 – Journal of Polymer Science Innovation Award{{Cite web|url=https://pmsedivision.org/2018/05/2018-jops-award-winner/|title=2018 Journal of Polymer Science Innovation Award Winner: Dr. Rachel O'Reilly – PMSE|website=pmsedivision.org|date=13 May 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-19}}
- 2016 – Royal Society of Chemistry Gibson-Fawcett award{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/GibsonFawcettAward/2016-Winner.asp|title=RSC Gibson-Fawcett Award 2016 Winner|website=www.rsc.org|language=en|access-date=2018-05-19}}
- 2014 – Royal Society of Chemistry and Society of Chemical Industry, McBain Medal{{Cite web|url=http://www.colloidsgroup.org.uk/meetings/past-meetings|title=Colloid & Surface Science Group – Past Meetings|last=Darton|first=Nicholas|website=www.colloidsgroup.org.uk|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-05-19}}
- 2013 – American Chemical Society Hermann Mark Young Scholar award
- 2012 – International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Samsung Young Polymer Scientist prize
- 2012 – Royal Society of Chemistry Hickinbottom Award{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/HickinbottomAward/2012-Winner.asp|title=Hickinbottom Award 2012 Winner|website=www.rsc.org|language=en|access-date=2018-05-19}}
- 2008 – Royal Society of Chemistry Macro group UK Young Researcher medal
- 2007 – Royal Society of Chemistry Meldola Medal and Prize{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/HarrisonMeldolaMemorialPrizes/2007Winner3.asp|title=2007 winner of the RSC Harrison-Meldola Prize|website=www.rsc.org|language=en|access-date=2018-05-19}}
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:OReilly, Rachel}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Fellows of the Royal Society
Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry
Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge
Category:Alumni of Imperial College London
Category:21st-century British chemists
Category:Scientists with dyslexia
Category:British scientists with disabilities
Category:Washington University in St. Louis faculty
Category:Academics of the University of Cambridge
Category:Academics of the University of Birmingham