The lectureship recognizes mid-career scientists who have firmly established themselves in their independent careers, continuously published innovative work, and have pioneered several research areas. Noël won the lectureship together with Prof. Ryan Shenvi of Scripps Research in La Jolla, USA. As part of the Lectureship award, they will be presenting lectures over the coming 12 months. In announcing the lectureships, Chemical Society Reviews mentioned the extremely high standard of nominations for this year, reason to also select a number of ‘Highly Commended’ candidates.