Stephen T. LiddleFRSC is a British professor of inorganic chemistry at the University of Manchester. He is Head of Inorganic Chemistry and Co-Director of the Centre for Radiochemistry Research at the University of Manchester since 2015.
After postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Edinburgh, University of Newcastle as the Wilfred Hall Research Fellow, and the University of Nottingham his independent academic career began at the University of Nottingham with a Royal Society University Research Fellowship held with a proleptic Lectureship. He was promoted to Associate Professor and Reader and Professor of Inorganic Chemistry. He moved to the University of Manchester in 2015 as Head of Inorganic Chemistry and Co-Director of the Centre for Radiochemistry Research. He currently holds an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Established Career Fellowship. He was Chairman of COST Action CM1006, a 22 country, research network of over 120 research groups in f-block chemistry, is an advisor to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, and was an elected category 3 member of Senate, the University of Manchester. Liddle's research is focused on synthetic inorganic chemistry, particularly making early transition metal, lanthanide, and actinide complexes to explore their structure, bonding, reactivity, and magnetism. In 2011 he reported a single-molecule magnet based on depleted uranium. In 2012 his research group was the first to synthesize a molecule with a terminal uranium-nitrogen triple bond. In 2013 he reported the isolation of a terminal uranium-nitrogen triple bond akin to examples previously restricted to cryogenic matrix isolation experiments. Also in 2013, his research group disclosed the first f-element cyclobutadienyl complex. In 2015 he reported a uranium-arsenido complex containing uranium-arsenic triple bonds. In 2019 his research group isolated a uranium-dinitrogen complex.
Liddle is known for his work on The Periodic Table of Videos, a series of videos from the University of Nottingham presented on YouTube, which feature educational vignettes on the periodic table. He is executive producer for Chemistry at Manchester Explains Research Advances, a series of videos from the University of Manchester presented on YouTube, which feature videos explaining chemistry research papers published from the University of Manchester. He is a National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement Ambassador.
