Professor Mark Lorch

Professor Mark Lorch

Professor of Public Engagement and Science Communication.

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Science and Engineering
  • School of Natural Sciences

Qualifications

  • PhD / DPhil (University of Bristol)

Summary

Mark Lorch is a chemist, writer and science communicator. He started his research career working on protein folding and has since delved into many other aspects of biological chemistry ranging from how organisms' signalling molecules will be affected by ocean acidification to monitoring micro-pollutants in waterways.

Alongside his research, Mark is spends his time communicating science to as wide an audience as possible. He founded and directs the Hull Science Festival and leads on widening participation projects in the region. He still finds time to contribute to various media outlets, his prose regularly appears in the mainstream press, and he pops up regularly on broadcast media. He has also provided science consultancy services to film, game production companies and he sits on the Science Advisory Council of the National Police Chiefs' Council.

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Book

Biochemistry: A Very Short Introduction

Lorch, M. (in press). Biochemistry: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press

The Secret Science of Superheroes

Lorch, M., Mackenwells, B., Jesson, D., Pires, I., Day, K., Gentle, L., …Heathcoate-Marcz, F. (2017). M. Lorch, & A. Miah (Eds.). The Secret Science of Superheroes. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry

Journal Article

Spore exines increase vitamin D clinical bioavailability by mucoadhesion and bile triggered release

Diego-Taboada, A., Sathyapalan, T., Courts, F., Lorch, M., Almutairi, F., Burke, B. P., …Mackenzie, G. (2022). Spore exines increase vitamin D clinical bioavailability by mucoadhesion and bile triggered release. Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society, 350, 244-255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.08.017

Citizen-led sampling to monitor phosphate levels in freshwater environments using a simple paper microfluidic device

Richardson, S., Iles, A., Rotchell, J. M., Charlson, T., Hanson, A., Lorch, M., & Pamme, N. (2021). Citizen-led sampling to monitor phosphate levels in freshwater environments using a simple paper microfluidic device. PLoS ONE, 16(12), Article e0260102. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260102

The influence of solvent representation on nuclear shielding calculations of protonation states of small biological molecules

Roggatz, C. C., Lorch, M., & Benoit, D. M. (2018). The influence of solvent representation on nuclear shielding calculations of protonation states of small biological molecules. Journal of chemical theory and computation : JCTC, 14(5), 2684-2695. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.7b01020

Lead investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

RSC COVID-19 Head of Department Grant

Funder

Royal Society of Chemistry

Grant

£10,000.00

Started

1 June 2020

Status

Ongoing

Project

ASCENTS 1-2-1

Funder

Education Endowment Foundation

Grant

£75,163.00

Started

1 January 2023

Status

Ongoing

Project

Hit or Myth

Funder

Royal Society of Chemistry

Grant

£1,950.00

Started

1 September 2016

Status

Complete

Project

Molcraft: Exploring molecules in Minecraft

Funder

Royal Society of Chemistry

Grant

£2,730.00

Started

1 July 2015

Status

Complete

Co-investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

North Yorkshire Health Determinants Research Collaboration

Funder

NIHR National Institute for Health Research

Grant

£989,764.00

Started

1 January 2024

Status

Ongoing

Project

Interreg - Sullied Sediments

Funder

EC European Commission

Grant

£279,657.00

Started

1 January 2017

Status

Complete

Project

ECPE PPF: Getting the Plastics Circular Economy Message Out: Arts Research and Performance as a Route to Shared Arts and Science Impact and Engagement

Funder

EPSRC Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council

Grant

£16,535.00

Started

1 November 2019

Status

Complete

Project

1-2-1 Academically asymmetrical paired mentoring: Improving GCSE science attainment amongst disadvantaged students

Funder

Education Endowment Foundation

Grant

£121,920.00

Started

1 January 2021

Status

Complete

Project

Flow: A place-based citizen science approach to increase widening participation in the chemical sciences from areas of high social deprivation.

Funder

Royal Society of Chemistry

Grant

£5,000.00

Started

1 January 2022

Status

Complete

Postgraduate supervision

Completed PhDs

Rebecca Batchelor, Drug Lipid Interactions, Studied by Solid State NMR

Rahul Saurabh, Interactions of Alzheimer's Peptides with Lipid Membranes

Yaser Alnaaam, Effect of Diet on Lipid Composition of Heart, Liver and Kidneys

Christina Roggatz, Effects of Ocean Acidification on Structure of Marine Organisms' Signalling Molecules

Current PhD supervisions

Samantha Richardson, Using Paper Microfluidics to Sample Pollutants in Water Ways

Awards and prizes

Daniell Lecture 2017

2017

Daniell Lectures are delivered by internationally renowned scientists and cover a topic of current interest and excitement. Speakers are chosen not only for their outstanding contribution to modern scientific knowledge, but also for their ability to communicate the essence of their research to a young audience. Professor Mark Lorch, from the University of Hull, whose talk was: Building nature's nano-machines.

Institute of Physics- Book of the year shortlist

2017

"The Secret Science of Superheroes' Shortlisted for IOP book of the year 2017.

Government advisory role

Member of the Police Science Advisory Council

2022 - 2025

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