Tuesday 23 June 2026

Professor Harry Anderson Awarded ERC Advanced Grant

Professor Harry Anderson, Professorial Fellow in Organic Chemistry at Keble, has been awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant.

Professor Anderson is one of fourteen University of Oxford researchers to receive an ERC Advanced Grant in the latest funding round. The awards, which are among the most competitive research grants in Europe, provide up to €2.5 million over five years to support research projects.

Based in Oxford’s Department of Chemistry, Professor Anderson is internationally recognised for his pioneering work in molecular materials, supramolecular chemistry and molecular electronics. His research explores how molecules can be designed and assembled to create new materials and devices with remarkable electronic and magnetic properties.

The ERC Advanced Grant will support Professor Anderson’s latest project, which will investigate the chemistry and physics of molecular quantum rings: nanostructures that confine electrons to a circular path, giving rise to unique quantum mechanical behaviour. The project will focus on quantum rings with radii between one and ten nanometres, a largely unexplored area of research.

Commenting on the award, Professor Anderson said: “I feel excited, and very privileged, to have been awarded five years of flexible funding to pursue the field of research that most interests me, even when its applications are far from clear. I would not have been able to secure this grant without a lot of help from colleagues and collaborators. Special thanks must go to my group for their exciting results and brilliant ideas.”

The ERC Advanced Grants programme, part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe framework, supports established research leaders with outstanding track records who are undertaking high-risk, high-gain projects with the potential to deliver major scientific breakthroughs.