Ask A Chemist: Brian Balmer

A chance to submit questions to a chemist on their work, their studies and their career. 

About the speaker:

Brian studied Chemistry at Oriel College, starting in 1992. Wishing to explore the subject more widely, he completed a supplementary subject on the Chemistry of Ceramics, taught in the Department of Materials Science during his second year. This inspired Brian to undertake his Part II year in the Materials department.

Brian remained in Oxford to complete his DPhil, making ceramic superconductors. After his DPhil, Brian accepted a job with consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan, and has remained with the firm since June 2000. Frost & Sullivan’s remit is to help clients identify opportunities for sustainable future growth for their business, and is structured around industry groups. Brian joined as an analyst in the Chemicals team and he now manages that team at a global level, advising some of the world’s largest chemical companies, such as Dow, Clariant, Evonik and Arkema, helping them to understand growth trends in their markets. Fortunately, the company has an office in Oxford, so Brian still lives here.

Outside of work, his main passion is sustainability, which luckily he is able to bring to the job, too – he spoke last month at a conference on Circular Economy trends. His other main interests are cooking and rock climbing, although most of his time outside work is taken up by his 9‐year‐old twins.

Catch up on the event below: