Deep science. New material possibilities.

Professor Matthew Rosseinsky OBE FRS is Chair of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Liverpool. His work brings together digital tools, machine learning and automation with experimental synthesis to discover advanced functional materials.

He earned a degree and a DPhil in Chemistry from the University of Oxford in 1990, then worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories before becoming University Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Oxford in 1992. He moved to Liverpool in 1999. His research interests span a wide range of functional properties including optical, electronic, magnetic, catalytic and porous materials for applications including energy generation and storage, superconductivity, sustainable manufacturing and information technology.

A central theme of his work is the relationship between a material’s composition, structure and properties: using scientific understanding to guide the creation of materials in the laboratory. His career-long aim is to translate computer-guided materials chemistry into practical technological solutions. By developing AI-guided workflows that accelerate experimental discovery, his group fuses learning from data at scale with the expert insight needed to discover differentiated materials in practice.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2008, and became a Royal Society Research Professor in 2013. He has received many international awards, most recently the Basolo Medal of the American Chemical Society Chicago Section in 2022 and the 2024 George B. Kistiakowsky Prize Lecture at Harvard University. He received the 2023 Eni Energy Frontiers Award for the digital design and discovery of next-generation energy materials from the President of Italy. He was recognized in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours List as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to materials chemistry research and innovation. In 2025, he was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society by the King for “pioneering contributions to the design and discovery of materials, changing our understanding of synthesis to create function with digital tools.”

Dr Gordon Sanghera CBE FRS is a biotechnology entrepreneur and chemist who leads commercialization strategy for Matter Machine Technologies. He co-founded Oxford Nanopore Technologies and served as its Chief Executive Officer for 21 years, leading the business from an Oxford University spinout to its listing on the London Stock Exchange in October 2021.

Earlier in his career, he worked at MediSense, contributing to the development of blood glucose monitoring technologies. The business was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in 1996. He has spent much of his career advancing bioelectronic platforms for glucose monitoring and DNA sequencing.

Under his leadership, Oxford Nanopore pioneered portable, real-time sequencing devices used in genomics, healthcare research and environmental science. This experience of taking scientific technologies from early development to broader use informs his focus on commercialization at Matter Machine Technologies.

Gordon was appointed a CBE for contributions to science and innovation. In July 2026, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of his pioneering contributions to biotechnology and genomic science.

Professor Matt Reed is Strategic Program Director for Advanced Materials at the University of Liverpool’s Materials Innovation Factory (MIF), where he develops strategic innovation partnerships between academia, industry and government.

A chemist and data scientist by background, Matt holds an Executive MBA in Technology Management from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. He has nearly 40 years’ senior R&D leadership experience, including 10 years with Shell and 27 years with Unilever, in UK, European and global roles. His work has resulted in scientific publications, patents, three co-authored books and the co-founding of five companies. He has also advised UK and EU bodies on advanced measurement science.

At Unilever, Matt led its £22m investment in the MIF and its global university Open Innovation strategy. He subsequently secured a £15m UK Government Local Innovation Partnership Grant to establish the University of Liverpool’s AI Materials Hub for Innovation (AIM-HI).

Born and based in Liverpool, Matt co-founded LYVA Labs in 2021 to support innovation and economic growth in the Liverpool City Region. LYVA Labs has since helped leverage more than £60m of investment and grant funding into Liverpool-based innovative companies.