Dr Nicholle Bell, a University of Edinburgh based NERC Soil Security Research Fellow, received this prestigious award for the “innovative developments in the teaching and practice of spectroscopy”

The developed methodology, in which the molecules of Soil Organic Matter (SOM) - the most complex environmental matrix on the earth - are modified by introducing 13C tags to act as molecular spies, yielded molecular structures of the most abundant phenolic molecules in SOM (Chem. Commun., 2014, 50, 1694-1697 (DOI: 10.1039/C3CC48907H); Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2015, 54: 8382–8385 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201503321; Analyst, 2016, 141, 4614-4624; DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00999A).

Nicholle’s medal follows her 2014 University of Edinburgh Principal's Medal for Service to the Community, for her innovation and practitioner skills in the field of public engagement and community outreach. In particular, she was acknowledged for setting up and delivering the Royal Society of Chemistry's Spectroscopy in a Suitcase initiative in Scotland, and for making an impact on teachers and pupils across the country.