Professor Ball has received this accolade for his outstanding contributions to modern synthetic chemistry, pioneering innovative tools and methods that enable efficient, selective, and more sustainable molecular construction, work with direct impact across pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals.
His collaborations with AstraZeneca have helped accelerate route design, improve late-stage functionalisation options, and embed greener chemistry principles into workflows.
This is the latest of several recent successes for Professor Ball, who joined the School from the University of Nottingham in August. He was also named Blavatnik Awards UK Laureate in Chemistry in 2025, and awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry Hickinbottom Prize for 2024.