For forty years, SCI has supported and recognised the excellence of early career scientists, by aiding their studies in the form of an SCI Scholarship.
Since 1985 more than 80 scholarships have been awarded which have not only given the recipients financial assistance, but have enabled them to broaden their network, and strengthen their skills and knowledge. SCI Scholars receive access to publishing and mentoring opportunities and are given a platform to present their work amongst esteemed scientists and industrialists, raising their profile within the scientific community.
We are delighted to announce that Sam Fineman, from the University of Oxford, has been awarded an SCI Scholarship of £5,000 over two years to support his PhD project.
In addition to the scholarship, Sam will benefit from publishing opportunities, access to a high-calibre network to help launch his career, and opportunities to present his work and raise his profile within the scientific community.
SCI Scholarships are prestigious and well respected by the industry. The SCI Scholars Fund was established in 1920 by the requests of Rudolph Messel and John Gray, both former presidents and founding members of SCI. SCI believes in nurturing the scientists of the future. Each year, SCI provides scholarships and bursaries to early career scientists including opportunities to attend or present at an international conference.
"Fluorochemicals are a diverse class of compounds with applications spanning pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, electrolytes, polymers, refrigerants and fluxes. Global production exceeds 5 million tonnes annually and is projected to grow dramatically to facilitate the transition to a more sustainable future. Despite safety risks, the $27 billion industry still relies on a toxic and corrosive gas known as hydrogen fluoride (HF) as the primary precursor to all fluorochemicals. This is produced via reaction of the natural mineral fluorspar (>97% CaF2) with sulfuric acid, a process essentially unchanged since its discovery over 250 years ago. In light of significant hazards and high operational costs associated with its handling on scale, there is growing interest in HF-free strategies for fluorochemical synthesis.
"My research aims to develop safe, operationally simple methods for the synthesis of fluorochemicals from fluorspar, bypassing HF. Direct fluorination from fluorspar is inherently challenging due to the high lattice energy and low solubility of CaF2. Recent advances have demonstrated that mechanochemistry can overcome these limitations; exploiting mechanical force to induce solid-state reactivity under ambient, solvent-free conditions. Furthering this work, I seek to develop complementary HF-free approaches to access critical fluorochemicals and, in light of depleting fluorspar reserves, to upcycle fluorine containing waste.
"I graduated with a first-class MChem degree from the University of Oxford in 2025. In my final year, I was awarded the Hooke and Roach Prizes from Christ Church, Oxford having held an academic scholarship throughout my undergraduate studies. After completing research placements at Astrazeneca and the University of Southampton, I conducted my Masters’ research under the supervision of Professor Véronique Gouverneur, in the area of sustainable fluorine chemistry. I am thrilled to be continuing this work as a DPhil student, generously funded by the Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford.
"It is an absolute honour to be awarded this scholarship and I am extremely grateful to the SCI for their support. This scholarship will provide invaluable opportunities for academic and industrial mentorship which will undoubtedly shape my development as a young scientist. I look forward to joining the college of scholars and sharing my findings with SCI’s interdisciplinary community."
Sam Fineman
PhD student
University of Oxford
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