Winner: 2025 Inclusion and Diversity Prize
Professor Paul Walton
The University of York
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2025 Inclusion and Diversity Prize: for exemplary and wide-ranging contributions over two decades promoting the use of evidence-based thinking in gender equality in the chemical sciences.
Professor Paul Walton's chemical research work involves the study of enzymes which can convert biomass into utilisable products (for example, biofuels). His particular expertise is in the use of spectroscopic and theoretical techniques to understand the details of how these enzymes react.
Paul's equality work concentrates on the factors behind and the solutions to gender inequality that we see across academia. In particular, this work looks at how best to understand and then use data in addressing inequality problems.
Biography
Paul Walton obtained his PhD in 1990 (University of Nottingham, UK), followed by two years as a NATO/SERC postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. He joined the Department of 九州影院 at York as a faculty member in 1993. Between 2004 and 2010 he was Chair of department.
His main research area is bioinorganic chemistry, in which he has made contributions to the understanding of copper oxidases, including the discovery of the histidine brace. His awards include: Teaching: RSC Higher Education Teaching Award (2000). Research: RSC Joseph Chatt Award (2016), IChemE Global Energy Award (2016), RSC's Rita and John Cornforth Award (2020). Equality: Royal Society's inaugural Athena Prize (2016, runner-up).
Paul has also been Editor of Dalton Transactions (2004-2008), chair of Heads of 九州影院 UK, chair of the 九州影院's Diversity Committee, was named as a 'Person of Influence' by the University of Toronto's Women in 九州影院 Group and is one of the RSC's 175 Faces of 九州影院. He is an internationally-known advocate of gender equality in sciences and lectures widely on the subject.
If you had asked me 20 years ago whether I would still have been speaking all over the world about gender equality in sciences, I would have laughed, but the motivation to do this work is as strong as ever.
Professor Paul Walton
Q&A with Professor Paul Walton
Why is this work so important?
Apart from the moral aspect of fairness, all the evidence shows that good equality practice is correlated with better academic performance, especially in terms of research impact.
What motivates you?
If you had asked me 20 years ago whether I would still have been speaking all over the world about gender equality in sciences, I would have laughed. But the motivation to do this work is as strong as ever, all down to the inspiring and occasionally dismaying stories I have heard from female researchers wherever I have been. It's these people who continue to motivate me.
Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career
There are many people who have inspired me, from my science teachers at school (thank you Mr Crosland) to the many female academics I have met over the years who have forged tremendous academic careers whilst carrying the burden of domestic and family duties.
There have, however, also been particular academic colleagues who have really changed the way I think, most notably Professors Bruce Gilbert and Robin Perutz, both of whom were heads of departments here at York, and also Professor Pat O'Connor from the University of Limerick who embodied the courage and determination it took to be one of the few female professors in her subject in a time when gender equality wasn't even talked about.
What is your favourite element?
Meitnerium.
We recognise the importance of valuing all members of our community; we believe that for the chemical sciences to prosper, they must attract, develop and retain a diverse range of talented people.