ProfSteven Langford

Professor Steven Langford joined UTS as the Head of School, Mathematical and Physical Sciences in 2021. With cutting-edge expertise in organic and supramolecular chemistry, Steve uses concepts from nature to build functional materials for diverse uses in materials science, optoelectronics and medicinal chemistry. In this he has been highly successful, securing totals of over $11 million in research grants and over $100 million for university projects.
Prior to joining UTS, Steve held several senior leadership positions at Monash and Swinburne Universities in roles spanning innovation in research and research training, education and industry engagement.
At Monash’s Faculty of Science (1998 - 2017), Steve’s career thrived in roles including Deputy Dean; Associate Dean (Research); Head, School of Chemistry; Associate Dean (International), and Head, School of Sciences in Malaysia. As the Director of Green Chemical Futures, Steve left a $40+million legacy through overseeing the establishment and construction of Monash’s flagship Green Chemical Futures building.
In 2017, Steve accepted the post of Dean, Research and Development for Science, Engineering and Technology at Swinburne University, where he oversaw more than half of the University’s research activities and enterprise, and managed candidature matters for over 750 HDR students.
Steve is an alumnus of the University of Sydney where he undertook his BSc (First Class Honours) and PhD in porphyrin chemistry with Max Crossley. He was awarded a Ramsay Fellow in 1993 to work with Prof Sir Fraser Stoddart (2016 Nobel Prize Laureate) at the University of Birmingham, UK. He then returned to Australia as an ARC Postdoc Fellow working with Mike Paddon-Row at UNSW.
He has published widely and is a co-author of the textbook Chemistry the Central Science – A Broad Perspective, which has sold over 38,000 copies across four editions. With a passion at the nexus of research and teaching, he continues to reshape curricula and teach into all aspects of fundamental and applied organic chemistry.
Steve has received numerous honours and awards for his work including a Young Investigator Award by the Society of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines; a Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award; a Centenary of Federation teaching award; and he was one of the first Australian Scientists to be awarded a Carrick Citation.
Nationally, Steve sits on the AAS National Committee for Chemistry, is a Fellow and former board member and Treasurer of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and, in 2023, was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW.
Incredibly passionate about his work, Steve’s ultimate aim is to understand the world around us through chemistry, to take inspiration from nature and control how light interacts with matter for positive change.