Dr Ian Sword, a chemistry graduate of the University (1964), is to remember his alma mater by funding the Ian Sword Lectureship in Organic Chemistry.

Against a backdrop of closures in English Chemistry departments, Dr Sword's generosity represents a significant contribution and vote of confidence in Chemistry in Scotland where the subject continues to thrive and develop.

The University of Glasgow's Chemistry Department, which will benefit from the new lectureship, is a dynamic department carrying out cutting-edge research and teaching. A central research activity is the synthesis of new molecules, and the development of new drugs or new materials relies on chemists to identify them and make them. Of special importance is Organic Chemistry, which is at the centre of drug development, for example. The appointee to the Ian Sword Lectureship will join an elite group with an international reputation in this field, and further enhance its contribution.

The appointee to the Ian Sword Lectureship will join an elite group with an international reputation in this field, and further enhance the Department's reputation.

The Chemistry Departments at Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities have merged to form the WestCHEM alliance funded in part by the Scottish Higher Education Council, and the new lecturer will contribute to this group as well, so strengthening Chemistry in the West of Scotland as a whole with all its potential for the local economy.

The University is indebted to Dr Sword, and is grateful for his vision and foresight in supporting Chemistry at the University of Glasgow, where he first studied.

Dr Ian Sword was honoured with a CBE in 2002 for his services to Research, Education and Enterprise.

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After graduating BSc from the University of Glasgow, Dr Ian Sword was a research fellow at Princeton University, before spending a year at Oxford University.

From there he went to Inveresk Research Group Inc where he was Chairman until 1989.

From 1993-2002 he spent time in Geneva at SGS as Senior Executive Vice President, Asia and Global Sector Head Consumer Products and Quality Certification, Australasia.

First published: 5 July 2005