Avtar S Matharu

Avtar Singh Matharu is a professor of chemistry at the University of York in England. His research interests include green and sustainable chemistry with a particular focus on the valorisation of renewable resources using green technologies.

Matharu was born in Nairobi and then raised in Leicester, he became the first Professor of Sikh heritage at the University of York in 2021.

Matharu is also well known for his work challenging racism and racist barriers in STEM and academia, and promoting interfaith community partnerships, for which he was awarded an MBE. He was a recipient of the 2026 RSC Horizon for Education prize for "For championing decolonisation of the undergraduate chemistry curriculum, through widespread dissemination of strategies and resources to promote more inclusive chemistry teaching". He is treasurer of the York Inter-Faith group which aims to promote mutual respect and understanding between faith communities.

He developed Matharu Plots which analyse geographical biases when citing academic literature.

Awards

2026 New Year Honors Member of the British Empire (MBE) 2025 Royal Society of Chemistry Horizon Prize