Rate My Professor Steve Rannard

Professor Steve Rannard is a Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Liverpool, within the School of Physical Sciences and Faculty of Science and Engineering. He earned his BSc (Hons) and D.Phil. from the University of Sussex, where his doctoral work with Prof. Norman Billingham focused on controlled amphiphilic block copolymers for dialysis membranes, sponsored by BP. Before joining academia full-time, Rannard accumulated over 16 years of industrial experience, including roles at the Cookson Technology Centre in Oxford's Organic Materials Group, Courtaulds in Coventry's Strategic Research and Coatings & Sealants Groups, and Unilever R&D at Port Sunlight, where he advanced to Unit Leader for Molecular Science, Science Area Leader for Functional Ingredients, and Discovery Platform Director for Molecular and Nano Technologies. He served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Liverpool from 2003 to 2007 and assumed his chair position in 2007, developing the Nanomedicine Research Group in collaboration with infectious pharmacology experts.

Rannard's research centers on novel polymer chemistry and organic nanoparticle production for advanced materials and healthcare applications, with a strong emphasis on nanomedicine for infectious diseases, particularly HIV therapies. His group has attracted substantial funding, exceeding £11 million from 2008 to 2015, supporting projects like long-acting NRTI therapies for HIV funded by the National Institutes of Health, sustained release nanoformulations via EPSRC, and nanoparticle interventions for colorectal cancer from Cancer Research UK; several initiatives have progressed to MHRA-approved human clinical trials. He holds the Royal Society Industry Fellowship (2005-2009) and was awarded the Macro Group UK Medal in 2024 and the RSC/Macro Group UK Young Researcher of the Year Medal in 1998. Rannard serves as Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Interdisciplinary Nanomedicine and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). Key publications include book chapters such as 'Solid Drug Nanoparticles' in Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience (2024) and high-impact articles like 'Formation and Enhanced Biocidal Activity of Water-Dispersable Organic Nanoparticles' (Nature Nanotechnology, 2008) and 'Polymer Nanoparticles: Shape-Directed Monomer-to-Particle Synthesis' (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2009). He has co-founded spin-out companies IOTA NanoSolutions Limited and Hydra Polymers Limited.