Category: Business

Imperial in the news: particle economics

Using technology designed in the labs and research conducted at Imperial College London and the University of Manchester, Nanoco Ltd. is one of just three companies in the world able to produce quantum dots – an extremely rare material that sells for $2m per kilogramme. The company also has a number of Imperial alumni in its major design and development roles.

CEO of the company, Dr Michael Edelman, hopes to expand the business to increase output from 25kg per year to up to 400kg at a new site in Cheshire. Although quantum dots have little contemporary use, it is predicted that their properties, which include being able to emit light when electrically charged, will be vital in the future development of display screens and solar cells.

Imperial in the news: feed the world

Increased awareness of malnourishment and ever-greater media campaigns have had little positive impact on reducing food poverty, as almost one seventh of the planet’s population are starving. A new book, called One Billion Hungry: Can We Feed The World? by Professor Sir Gordon Conway and Katy Wilson [Life Sciences] proposes that the only way to change this is for greater and fairer distribution of the best farming practises, available materials and more high-level support for development.

Between 100-150 million people would no longer be undernourished, they argue in The Guardian, if female smallholder farmers had the same access as their male counterparts.