Professor Colin J Suckling

Colin Suckling has been Freeland Professor of Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde since 1989.

During the 1990s until 2002, he served successively as Dean of the Faculty of Science, Deputy Principal, and Vice Principal of the University of Strathclyde.

Much of Professor Suckling's work during that time was strategic including the development of inter-institutional and interdisciplinary research partnerships, which was recognized publicly with the award of OBE in 2006.

The origin of the research collaboration with the University of Glasgow (WestCHEM) was in this work. Since demitting office in 2002, much effort has been expended on the expansion of research in medicinal chemistry involving both academic and industrial partners around the world.

The research has led to notable outcomes in several fields, brief notes on which follow. Research funding has also followed with a total of over £3M having been raised in collaboration with others over the past five years.

Major contributions have come from Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept Fund (£198k), BBSRC (£976k), and a recently announced drug discovery programme funded by CRUK (> £2M).

Professor Suckling's standing in the field of heterocyclic chemistry has been recognized by his appointment as chairman of the 2011 International Congress of Heterocyclic Chemistry to be held in Glasgow.