Duncan Wass completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Durham (1992-1995). He then studied for his PhD (1995-1998) under the supervision of Professor Vernon Gibson FRS at Imperial College, London. In 1999, he joined BP Chemicals Ltd, working in their Sunbury-on-Thames laboratories. After secondment to a commercial sales and marketing team, he moved to BP's research site in Brussels, Belgium. Duncan joined the School of Chemistry at Bristol University in January 2004, and was promoted to Professor of Catalysis in 2012

My research interests are in the area of homogeneous catalysis and organometallic chemistry. Catalysis is the key technology used to make useful molecules and a broad range of chemical products are our targets, from high molecular weight polymers to small molecules. The drivers for this work are achieving better catalytic activity and selectivity, using cheaper and greener feedstocks, and producing end-materials with better performance. We have specific interest in transition metal-containing frustrated Lewis pairs, new catalysts for selective olefin oligomerisation, catalytic upgrading of bioethanol and carbon dioxide, and composite materials with new functionality.

Chapman, A, Haddow, M & Wass, D, 2011, ‘Frustrated Lewis Pairs beyond the Main Group: Synthesis, Reactivity, and Small Molecule Activation with Cationic Zirconocene–Phosphinoaryloxide Complexes’. Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol 133., pp. 18463 - 18478