Emma Southall was awarded a Rideal Travel Bursary to attend Pacifichem 2025, held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Here she tells us about her highlights from the conference.
"I was particularly excited to participate in this meeting as it represented my first opportunity to deliver an oral presentation at a major international conference – an important milestone in my academic journey. Pacifichem, held only once every five years, represents a very broad and diverse scientific community, covering a wide range of disciplines.
"It was a fantastic setting to increase the visibility of my PhD work, which focuses on the design and development of novel catalyst structures for the thermal conversion of carbon dioxide into methanol. The discussions my presentation prompted were both useful and energising, providing me with ideas for future work and collaborations. For instance, I was interested to learn how minor changes to the catalyst structure and composition might facilitate ethanol production. Furthermore, exposure to such a wide range of sustainability-focused symposia enabled me to understand how different sub-fields approach similar scientific challenges, and to reflect on potential alternative uses for my materials. Talks on innovative characterisation techniques and testing methods opened my eyes to the potential for new insights into my materials.
"In addition to academics, many industry professionals attended the conference. I particularly enjoyed listening to their presentations, which typically discussed the challenges of scaling-up novel technologies developed on a lab scale. This important viewpoint is often not considered to the same extent in a university setting, but is critical in meeting climate goals. These presentations encouraged me to consider my work from a different angle, and if more cost-effective synthesis methods or reagents could be used to facilitate the scale-up process.
"Beyond the many professional benefits, the large-scale of Pacifichem offered valuable career-development opportunities, allowing me to consider my next steps after completing my PhD. I returned to Oxford with a strengthened professional network and renewed sense of motivation. Thank you once again to the SCI-RSC panel for enabling me to participate in such a rewarding and enjoyable event."
Emma Southall
PhD student
Keble College, University of Oxford
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