Professor Panagiotis Manesiotis
Professor of Analytical Chemistry and Head of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Queen's University Belfast
Chemistry · Engineering
As a child, Panagiotis Manesiotis took his toys apart to discover how they worked. Today, he applies that same curiosity to some of society's biggest challenges, revealing the hidden chemistry behind environmental and industrial systems. When he looks at a bridge or a pavement, he sees a complex world of materials, elements and processes waiting to be understood.
Using advanced techniques to detect substances that would otherwise go unnoticed, Panagiotis’ work truly does make the invisible visible. His research uncovers hidden pollutants, identifies environmental problems before they become crises and connects the dots between seemingly unrelated problems. Driven by a belief that we cannot manage or improve a system until we understand how it works, he focuses on uncovering what lies beneath the surface.
A major focus of his work is phosphorus, an element essential to life and food production but increasingly being lost as waste. By developing ways to recover and reuse phosphorus from waste and polluted waterways, Panagiotis is helping to transform an environmental challenge into a valuable resource. For him, sustainability is not simply about reducing waste, but about making better use of the resources we already have.
While his research happens on a molecular scale, Panagiotis is also interested in the bigger picture, fascinated by the impact science can have on society. By connecting chemistry with environmental challenges, public policy and science communication, his work aims to provide the evidence we need to make better decisions about the air we breathe, the water we drink and the resources on which we all depend.