Profile
Matt Unthank
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About Me:
I am a Professor of Chemistry at Northumbria University. I have lived in many places around the UK including Edinburgh, Bristol and London, but I now live in Whitley Bay (near Newcastle) with my wife and three kids, one cat and a dog. I play music, cycle and go to watch Newcastle United FC with my two boys.
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My pronouns are:
he/him
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My Work:
As a Professor at Northumbria University my role is varied. I teach chemistry to undergraduate students who are working towards gaining a degree in chemistry. I also manage a team of 12 researchers (who already have chemistry degrees), who are doing new research in chemistry, plastics and materials. In addition to this I speak at science conferences and at events for the public (including at the Centre for Life). Overall I think my job is to create new knowledge and inventions and to teach people about these, as well as about the importance of science in general.
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Matt Unthank is a Professor of Chemistry at Northumbria University and has background in polymer, plastics and coatings research, specifically for commercially relevant applications. He has a career spanning both industrial and academic roles across the pharmaceutical (GSK), industrial chemicals and coatings industries (AkzoNobel) in addition to more recent academic roles as a visiting academic at the University of Manchester and in his current role as Professor of Chemistry at Northumbria University. He is a Researcher in Residence Fellow, with the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (CPI and NCC) to develop sustainable high-performance polymers, a member of the EPSRC Early Career Forum (ECF) in Manufacturing Research (https://ecfmanufacturing.com/current-members/) and co-lead for the bulk chemical sector in the sustainability focussed £5M EPSRC-TransFire Hub involving 12 academic institutions, >130 companies and 14 non-governmental organisations (https://transfire-hub.org/). Further to this he is a founding member of the ‘Synthesis and Polymer Innovation’ centre at Northumbria (SPIN, www.northumbria.ac.uk/spin) to support polymer scale-up and commercialisation projects with industrial partners.
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Education:
High school was Ryton Comprehensive School (now called Thorp Academy) until I was 16. I then studied A-levels in Chemistry, Physics and Biology at Newcastle College.
I then did a masters degree in chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, which took 5 years including one year that I spent working near London for a chemicals company.
Finally, I spent 3 years at the University of Bristol doing a PhD (to become a doctor of science).
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Qualifications:
GSCEs in all the usual subjects
A levels in Chemistry, Physics and Biology
Masters degree in Chemistry (1st class)
PhD in Chemistry
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Work History:
June 2023-current day
Professor of Chemistry – Northumbria University, Newcastle
April 2018-June 2023
Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor of Polymer Chemistry – Northumbria University, Newcastle
January 2015 – April 2018
Polymer Research Section Manager – AkzoNobel; Visiting Academic, University of Manchester
January 2014 – December 2014
Innovative Polymer Project Leader – Powder Coatings Research Group, AkzoNobel
August 2010 – December 2013
Associate Technologist – Marine and Protective Coatings, AkzoNobel
January 2007–August 2010
Senior/Principal Scientist – Process Development and Scale-Up, GlaxoSmithKline
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Current Job:
Professor of Chemistry – Northumbria University, Newcastle
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Employer:
Northumbria University
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My Interview
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What did you want to be after you left school?
An Inventor
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
If I was doing it all again I would study 'space physics' (like Brian Cox) and try to find evidence of life on other planets
Who is your favourite singer or band?
ACDC, Guns and Roses and any 'old' rock music
What's your favourite food?
Pizza and Pies
Tell us a joke.
Did you hear about the fire at the cheese factory? All that was left was debris (de-brie).....
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