We are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2018 Young Investigator Award, sponsored by MDPI and Molecules, is Dr Paul McGonigal.

Dr. Paul McGonigal (b 1985) received his undergraduate (MChem, 2007) and postgraduate (PhD, 2010) degrees from The University of Edinburgh, working under the direction of Prof David Leigh. In 2011, he moved to The Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), Spain, as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the laboratory of Prof Antonio Echavarren. The following year, he was awarded a US–UK Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research with Prof Fraser Stoddart’s research group at Northwestern University. His training encompassed topics ranging from molecular machines, homogeneous catalysis, and natural product synthesis to nanoparticle functionalization and metal–organic frameworks.

In 2015, Paul moved to Durham University to take up the position of Assistant Professor of Organic Chemistry where he investigates new small-molecule motifs for functional materials by taking advantage of unusual interactions, reactivity, and dynamics. In the past three years, his team has investigated the effects of excited-state aromatic interactions in phenyl-ring molecular rotors, synthesized new functional carbocation materials, and developed strategies to control shapeshifting molecules. As well as providing new fundamental insights, the materials developed by McGonigal are targeted towards applications as components of optoelectronic devices. Paul is being awarded the 2018 Molecules Young Investigator Award for his creative early-career contributions to organic and supramolecular chemistry.

Dr. Derek J. McPhee
Editor-in-Chief, Molecules