Richard Robson (chemist)

Richard Robson
FAA FRS
Born (1937-06-04) 4 June 1937
Glusburn, England, UK
EducationBrasenose College, Oxford (BA, DPhil)
Known forCoordination polymers
Metal-organic frameworks
AwardsNobel Prize in Chemistry (2025)
Scientific career
FieldsInorganic chemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Melbourne
ThesisSome Studies on the Ultraviolet Irradiation of Charge-Transfer Complexes and Related Systems (1962)
Doctoral advisorJohn A. Barltrop
Other academic advisorsHenry Taube
Websitefindanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/15996-richard-robson

Richard Robson FAA FRS (born 4 June 1937) is an English and Australian chemist and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne.[1] Robson specialises in coordination polymers, particularly metal-organic frameworks.[2] He has been described as "a pioneer in crystal engineering involving transition metals".[3][4] In 2025, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Susumu Kitagawa and Omar M. Yaghi for the development of metal-organic frameworks.[5]

Early life and education

Robson was born in Glusburn, West Yorkshire (now North Yorkshire), England, on 4 June 1937.[6][7] He read chemistry at Brasenose College, Oxford,[8] earning a BA in 1959 and a DPhil in 1962.[9][6] His doctoral research, supervised by John A. Barltrop at the Dyson Perrins Laboratory, focused on the photochemistry of organic molecules.[10][11]

He conducted postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology (1962–64) and Stanford University (1964–65) under Henry Taube before accepting a lectureship in chemistry at the University of Melbourne in 1966, where he remained for the rest of his career.[9][12]

Research

Richard Robson's groundbreaking research established foundational principles in the field of coordination polymers, particularly for infinite polymeric frameworks—later termed metal–organic frameworks (MOFs).[2][13] His interest in the field was sparked in 1974 while constructing large wooden models of crystalline structures for first-year chemistry lectures.[14]

In the 1990s, Robson created a new class of coordination polymers that underpinned an entire modern field of chemistry.[15] His innovative approach used copper(I), which favours a tetrahedral geometry, in combination with a custom-designed tetranitrile organic linker.[15] This method produced crystalline scaffolds with a diamond-like structure but with significant, engineered void space within the framework.[15]

Honors and awards

Robson received the Burrows Award from the Inorganic Division of The Royal Australian Chemical Institute in 1998 and was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2000.[16] He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2022.[17]

Robson shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his early contribution to the field of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs).

Personal life

His daughter is former TV presenter Naomi Robson.[18]

Selected publications

References

  1. ^ "Robson, Richard – Biographical entry – Encyclopedia of Australian Science".
  2. ^ a b Hoskins, Bernard F.; Robson, Richard (1989). "Infinite polymeric frameworks consisting of three dimensionally linked rod-like segments". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 111 (15): 5962–5964. Bibcode:1989JAChS.111.5962H. doi:10.1021/ja00197a079.
  3. ^ Wise, Donald (27 March 1998). Electrical and Optical Polymer Systems: Fundamentals: Methods, and Applications. CRC Press. p. 872. ISBN 978-0-8247-0118-5.
  4. ^ Stuart R. Batten; Suzanne M. Neville; David R. Turner (2009). Coordination Polymers: Design, Analysis and Application. Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-85404-837-3.
  5. ^ "Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 Summary". The Nobel Prize. 8 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Press release". The Nobel Prize. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025". The Nobel Prize. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Professor Richard Robson – Nobel Prize Winner". bnc.ox.ac.uk. 8 October 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Richard Robson FRS". Royal Society. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  10. ^ Williams, R. J. P.; Rowlinson, John S.; Chapman, Allan (2008). Chemistry at Oxford: A History from 1600 To 2005. Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 242. ISBN 978-1-84755-885-5.
  11. ^ Barltrop, J.A.; Robson, R. (1963). "The photochemistry of some charge-transfer complexes of cyclohexene". Tetrahedron Letters. 4 (9): 597–600. doi:10.1016/S0040-4039(01)90680-X. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  12. ^ Abrahams, Brendan F.; Batten, Stuart R.; D'Alessandro, Deanna M. (2019). "Professor Richard Robson FAA". Australian Journal of Chemistry. 72 (10): 729. doi:10.1071/CHv72n10_FO. ISSN 0004-9425. Archived from the original on 8 October 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  13. ^ Bruin, Tyler (24 November 2023). "Professor Richard Robson elected Fellow of the Royal Society". University of Melbourne. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  14. ^ Robson, Richard (2024). "The Historical Development of the Concepts Underlying the Design and Construction of Targeted Coordination Polymers/MOFs: A Personal Account". The Chemical Letter. 24 (5) 202400038. doi:10.1002/tcr.202400038. PMID 38775251.
  15. ^ a b c "The man who built a whole new field of chemistry". Pursuit. University of Melbourne. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  16. ^ Sharma, Deepanshu (8 October 2025). "Who is Richard Robson? Australian Chemist Who Won The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025". The Daily Guardian. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  17. ^ "Outstanding Academy Fellows elected to Royal Society". Australian Academy of Science. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  18. ^ Fiona, Byrne (13 December 2025). "'Still pinching myself': Naomi Robson 'so proud' of her Nobel Prize-winning dad". Herald Sun.
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