Martyn Poliakoff
Sir Martyn Poliakoff is a Nottingham chemist and the familiar face of Periodic Videos, sharing the elements, laboratory experiments and the possibilities of greener chemistry.
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Latest
Martyn’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
YouTube
YouTubeOverview
- Based at
- University of Nottingham, UK
- Work
- Chemist, researcher and science presenter
- Education
- King’s College, Cambridge: BA 1969, PhD 1973
- Online breakthrough
- Periodic Videos, launched in 2008 with Brady Haran and Nottingham colleagues
- Research
- Supercritical fluids and green chemistry
Mini bio
Before the camera.
Martyn studied chemistry at King’s College, Cambridge, then worked at Newcastle before joining Nottingham in 1979. His research explores supercritical fluids and cleaner ways to carry out chemical reactions.
An unlikely YouTube beginning.
In 2008, filmmaker Brady Haran proposed making a video for every element. Martyn initially doubted that the obscure elements could fill an episode. The team made 120 videos in five weeks, and viewers wanted more. That collaboration became Periodic Videos, where his explanations sit alongside experiments and conversations with fellow scientists.
Chemistry across borders.
His work also reaches beyond the screen. He served as the Royal Society’s Foreign Secretary and Vice-President from 2011 to 2016, and successfully proposed the International Year of the Periodic Table in 2019. In 2026, he shared an AAAS science diplomacy award with Sir Richard Catlow.
Creditschronological, newest first
Online science
- 2026Steak Cooked in 6.8 SecondsFeatured with Neil Barnes; filmed by Brady Haran
- 2010World’s Smallest Periodic TablePresenter; a periodic table was etched onto his hair
- 2008Supercritical fluidsDemonstrator, Test Tube
Public lectures
- 2020The elements of chemistrySpeaker, 2019 Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture
Awards
- AAAS David and Betty Hamburg Award for Science Diplomacy2026 · Joint recipient with Sir Richard Catlow for advancing international scientific collaboration.
- Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture2019 · Royal Society award for excellence in scientific public engagement; lecture delivered in February 2020.
- Knighthood2015 · Awarded for services to the chemical sciences.
Quotes
We wanted to show that we enjoy chemistry and how much fun it can be.Martyn Poliakoff, interviewed by Kathleen Too for Chemistry World
In a December 2010 interview, he explained why he and his colleagues started making chemistry videos.
Trivia
- He is fond of sodium because its symbol, Na, was his mother’s childhood nickname.
- A Nottingham tram was named in his honour in 2021.
- Nottingham researchers etched a tiny periodic table onto one of his hairs for a Periodic Videos film.
Find Martyn
Watch Martyn and his colleagues explore chemistry on Periodic Videos.
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