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Oxford’s Meera Mehta wins 2025 Philip Leverhulme Prize
Four Oxford academics have been recognized for pioneering work in chemistry, economics, and engineering.
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Pranavi Sharma - Tue, 21, Oct 2025
- 23:29 EDT
- 40
Meera Mehta / Mario Müller
Oxford chemist Meera Mehta will soon be awarded the 2025 Philip Leverhulme Prize for her research on the fundamental chemistry of earth-abundant, non-toxic elements and their applications in synthetic and materials science. The award, given by the Leverhulme Trust, recognizes early- to mid-career researchers whose work shows exceptional international promise.
Each of the 30 winners across six disciplines will receive £100,000 to support their future research. Mehta, an Associate Professor in Oxford’s Department of Chemistry and a tutorial fellow at Trinity College, was one of four Oxford academics selected from over 350 nominations this year.
Speaking to Oxford University, Mehta said the recognition “celebrates and recognises all the hard work of my research team". She added, “Besides providing financial support to initiate a very ambitious project, this prize allows me to be part of the elite Philip Leverhulme Prize winners community, and engage with academics beyond science.”
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Her research focuses on nitrogen chain structures—highly reactive molecules that can usually only be studied under extreme conditions, such as ultrahigh pressures or ultracold temperatures. Preliminary work from her lab has shown that stable four-nitrogen units can be synthesised under ambient conditions. Mehta plans to use the prize funding to further this research, studying how the organic groups attached to these nitrogen units influence their electronic structure and chemical behaviour.
Originally from Toronto, Mehta completed her undergraduate degree at McMaster University and her PhD at the University of Toronto under Professor Douglas Stephan. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Oxford in 2018–19, she joined the University of Manchester as a lecturer before returning to Oxford in 2024.
The other Oxford recipients include Associate Professor Emilio Martínez-Pañeda from the Department of Engineering Science, honoured for his research on material mechanics; Associate Professor Ludvig Sinander from the Department of Economics, recognised for his contributions to economic theory; and Professor Noa Zilberman, also from Engineering Science, awarded for her work on computing infrastructure.
The Leverhulme Trust, one of the UK’s largest research funders, awards the annual prizes in memory of Philip, Third Viscount Leverhulme, the Trust’s former benefactor. The prizes support ambitious, curiosity-driven research in fields ranging from archaeology to literature, aiming to advance fundamental knowledge and scholarship across disciplines.
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