Dr. Richard Cooper

Biography

Richard Cooper is a Professor and the Head of Chemical Crystallography at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on experimental and computational methods for X-ray and neutron crystal structure analysis. He has developed and maintained a crystallographic analysis package, CRYSTALS, which is distributed among his research group. Diffraction techniques play a crucial role in his research, enabling the accurate determination of three-dimensional atomic resolution structures of molecules and materials. Cooper evaluates crystal structures to inspire new approaches for controlling the physical properties of materials for diverse applications, including sensors, catalysts, and energy storage materials. His recent work involves exploring the propensity of molecules to form crystals using cheminformatics descriptors and machine learning models, especially in the context of drug discovery. He previously served as the President of the British Crystallographic Association and as the Scientific Director of the UK Intensive Teaching School in X-ray Structure Analysis. Richard completed his DPhil in Crystallographic Computing in 2000 and has held various research positions in academia and industry before returning to Oxford Chemistry in 2010. He currently leads the Machine Learning Methods Development group.

Research Interests