Matthew Langton receives European Research Council Consolidator Grant

Prof Matthew Langton has been announced as one of four Oxford University researchers who have been awarded European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grants, part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. These grants, totalling €678 million this year, aim to support outstanding scientists and scholars as they establish their independent research teams and develop their most promising scientific ideas.

Professor Langton will use the ERC Consolidator Grant to develop artificial molecular machines that work within cell membranes to control transmembrane transport and catalyse reactions. Molecular machines are molecules which perform specific tasks by harnessing controlled mechanical movements at the nanoscale, and lie at the heart of many key biological processes. The RELAYMACHINE project will explore how to develop analogous artificial molecular machines using chemical synthesis. These include molecular machines which function as nanoscale relays to actively pass ions across cell membranes. He said:

This ERC Consolidator Grant will enable my team and I to explore the potential of artificial molecular machines in biological membranes, which is where many of their natural counterparts operate. We are excited by the prospects of developing new applications for nanotechnology and medicine, such as novel chemical tools for drug delivery or nanoscale synthesis. I am extremely grateful to the ERC for funding this project, to my mentors and collaborators for their support, and to my past and present group members for their continued hard work and exciting results.

Professor James Naismith, Head of the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division, said:

These awards highlight the exceptional talent and creativity of our researchers here at Oxford. Securing ERC Consolidator Grants is a remarkable achievement, reflecting not only the innovative nature of their work but also the global significance of the research conducted across MPLS. I am delighted to see our researchers receive this support to push the boundaries of knowledge and tackle some of the most challenging questions in science today.

You can read more, including about the other Oxford recipients, here.