Professor Martin Snowden

Professor Martin Snowden has a background as a physical chemist with an international research profile in the area of colloid and polymer science as it relates to pre-formulation and formulation science. He has published over 120 original published works, including a number of invited papers and reviews.

Professor Snowden also has very strong links with companies including Pfizer, Glaxo Smith Kline and BP, which have led to research sponsorship of in excess of £4m supporting 25 post-doctoral researchers and 15 PhDs during his time at the University of Greenwich. Professor Snowden has served two terms as an editorial board member of the ACS journal, Langmuir, and is a member of the EPSRC peer review college.

After gaining his PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Salford, he became a BP Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Bristol. Here he undertook a project with Professor B. incent on the preparation and properties of colloidal microgels, successfully translating technology from the University into BP Sunbury which, in turn, led to the filing of several patents and a number of publications in the area of tertiary oil recovery.

In 1993 Professor Snowden joined the University of Greenwich as a Lecturer in Physical Chemistry, progressing to Senior Lecturer, Head of Department, appointed Reader, and appointed Professor in Colloid & Polymer Science by 2003.

He took up the post of Dean of the School of Science in September 2008 after a three-year position as Director of Research & Enterprise.

Professor Snowden was the Chair of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Science of the United Kingdom (2010-2012) and is a member of the Board of Governors of the University of Greenwich.

Professional qualification/affiliations

2004: Chartered Scientist
2001: Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry
1989: Chartered Chemist and Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry
1987: Graduate Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry

Dean of the School of Science

Professor Martin Snowden was appointed the Dean of the School of Science in 2008. As Dean of the School, he actively promotes the idea of the School being a place of inspiration where motivating students to be enthusiastic and passionate about science is the first and foremost priority.

Under his leadership Professor Snowden is also seeking to provide students with the tools required for them to succeed in a competitive workplace by actively promoting employability and developing the necessary skills and confidence required to build successful careers.

The School of Science tries to deliver what it promises with students and the student experience is at the heart of what it does. In 2011 the School of Science obtained National Student Survey scores, in relation to overall satisfaction of 89 and 92%.

The School of Science has a vibrant research and enterprise activity and works closely with a number of leading companies and organisations on collaborative projects, ranging from sports nutrition and land remediation to leading edge developments in the world of analytical chemistry. The school also derives significant research funds from European sources including the Framework and Tempus programmes.

Professional body activities

Professor Snowden is Chair of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the United Kingdom, the Professional Body for Pharmaceutical Sciences in the UK. As a result he is very actively involved in promoting the pharmaceutical sciences through political influence, seminars, conferences, membership services and a range of professional activities.

He was session Chair at the British Pharmaceutical National meetings in Manchester in 2007 and 2008 and in Nottingham 2010, 2011 and 2012. He has also been Chair of the Kent Local Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry and is a former member of Council of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Conference organisation

Over the course of his career Professor Snowden has organised and run over 10 conferences and symposia in the field of colloid and pharmaceutical science and has generated over £100,000 worth of sponsorship to support the conferences.

In 2009 he was the invited Chair of the International Association of Colloid Scientists meeting at Columbia University, New York, and in June of the same year he organised an Emerging Pharmaceutical Scientists (two-day) symposium in partnership with Astra Zeneca at Loughborough. This followed a very successful similar symposium he organised the previous year.

Professional Development

Professor Snowden attended the Leadership Foundation Programmes in Preparing for Senior Strategic Leadership in 2008 and Senior Strategic Leadership in 2010 as well as attending a Leadership Foundation Programme for members of University Court also in 2010.

Research

Professor Snowden’s research areas focus on colloid and polymer science. Research projects include studies on colloid stability, especially around depletion flocculation (the destabilisation of colloidal systems by non-absorbing polymers). Investigations around the preparation, properties and applications of smart research sponsorship have resulted in over 50 publications and are an on-going area of research.

Current collaborations include BP and GlaxoSmithKline consumer health. Research sponsorship of in excess of £4m has been won supporting 25 post-doctoratess and 15 successful PhDs during his time at the University of Greenwich.

Professor Snowden has served two terms as editorial board member of the ACS journal, Langmuir, and is a member of the EPSRC peer review college.

Publications

Professor Snowden has in excess of 120 refereed publications with over 2,700 citations (average citations per paper 19) and an h index of 28.

Recent publications

Professor Snowden's most recent publications can be found at Google Scholar