King's College to invest £45.5m in interdisciplinary science innovation

King's College London (King's) is set to invest £45.5m into science research, education, and infrastructure, with plans to establish advanced interdisciplinary research centres aimed at accelerating growth and innovation in the natural sciences and contributing to critical growth sectors of the UK economy. The college's intention is to use the funds to bolster interdisciplinary collaboration across chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics.

Not only will King's be seeking to continue its legacy of scientific breakthroughs such as the discovery of the DNA structure and the development of electromagnetism theory, but the investment will also expand opportunities for interdisciplinary scientific education and research. King's believes that this approach will aid in meeting global challenges by combining the breadth of the University's expertise across various disciplines.

Professor Rachel Mills, Senior Vice President (Academic) and Professor of Ocean Chemistry at King's College London said, "King's has been delivering groundbreaking science for almost two hundred years. Today, the world's most pressing challenges demand science solutions that are not defined by traditional disciplines and that emerge from the intersection of current knowledge."

She added, "Through this multi-million-pound investment programme, King's will leverage its two-century legacy - building on the exceptional work of our world-class scientists - to power a new era of interdisciplinary science innovation that meets society's ever-changing needs."

Part of the investment also includes creating new academic positions to strengthen King's scientific excellence - a total of 64 roles across various scientific disciplines. The future research centres, such as the Net Zero Centre and the Centre for the Physical Science of Life, will bring together academic specialisms to meet major societal challenges, like sustainability and future-suited healthcare.

As part of this investment, King's will also be introducing a new Natural Sciences degree, with a first cohort due to start in September 2024. This unique undergraduate programme will combine interdisciplinary scientific study with entrepreneurial training and professional development. The aim is to prepare students for a wide range of careers.

To facilitate this development, King's will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure – developing new laboratories and science teaching spaces across its central London campuses. Professor Mark French, Assistant Principal (Campus Futures), said, "This is an exciting time for science at Kings. We are driving forward an ambitious investment programme that will rapidly scale our science capabilities by strengthening our science education programmes, bolstering our research talent and transforming our facilities and infrastructure."

This investment seeks to position King's as an international centre for scientific discovery, and a nurturing ground for the next generation of science innovators and leaders.