Elena Bichoutskaia

Elena Besley (née Bichoutskaia) is a British scientist who is Professor of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry at the University of Nottingham. She holds a Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship and is Associate Editor of Nano Letters.

Early life and education Besley studied physics at Saint Petersburg State University and graduated with a Master of Science (MSci) degree in physics in 1993.

Research and career Between 2000 and 2007, Besley had postdoctoral research appointments at the University of Nottingham, the University of Sussex, and the University of Cambridge. In 2007 Besley was awarded a Royal Society Relocation Fellowship at the University of Nottingham and a Visiting Academic Research Fellowship at the Australian National University, Canberra.

At the University of Nottingham, Besley was appointed to Lecturer in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry in 2011, followed by promotion to Associate Professor in 2014, and to Professor of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry in 2015. Besley is featured in an expert database for Outstanding Female Scientists and Scholars "AcademiaNet: Profiles of Leading Women Scientists". She has investigated how the electron beams of transmission electron microscopes interact with materials.

Awards and honours

1996 UNESCO Anniversary Award "for distinguished success in study and scientific activities" 2000 Royal Society NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship 2007 Royal Society UK Relocation Fellowship 2017 Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry 2021 Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship

Select publications Her publications include: