Regular biography
Derek Gates is a Faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at The University of British Columbia. His research interests include Inorganic Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Materials Science, and Catalysis. His group focuses on bridging inorganic chemistry and polymer science, developing synthetic methodologies to prepare new macromolecules with unique structures and properties. The incorporation of inorganic elements into polymer backbones can lead to properties not achievable with organic polymers. His work explores the potential of inorganic multiple bonds in polymer chemistry, with an emphasis on synthetic methods for linking inorganic elements into long chains. Gates has contributed to the field through research projects involving addition polymerization of P=C bonds, living anionic polymerization, and the development of new phosphorus ligands in catalysis.