Dr Tom McDonald

Dr. Tom McDonald is a Reader in Sustainable Materials within the Departments of Materials and Chemistry at the University of Manchester. He also holds the positions of Research Area Lead for Chemical Materials Design at the Henry Royce Institute and Head of Sustainability at the School of Natural Sciences. With a PhD from the University of Manchester, Tom began his academic career as a lecturer at the University of Liverpool, before returning to Manchester. His research focuses on the development of sustainable colloids, polymers, and plastics, employing innovative approaches in materials design and characterisation. Tom’s research group is particularly engaged in the study of polymer colloids, concentrating on the encapsulation and delivery of actives via organic nanoparticles and the impact of environmental nanoplastics. Their work on plastics recycling aims to understand and improve the mechanical recycling processes to enhance the quality of recycled plastics and encourage their broader use.

To date, Tom has authored over 70 papers and has been an investigator on grants totalling more than £8.5 million from various funding bodies, including the EPSRC and Innovate UK. This substantial funding underscores his dedication to advancing sustainability in materials science.