Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu, chemist

Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu has dedicated her career to studying nanoparticles, finding ways to carry medicines to parts of the body that are notoriously hard to reach, such as the back of the eye and the brain, while causing fewer side-effects.

She’s Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at University College London, President of Wolfson College Cambridge and was appointed a DBE in the King’s New Years Honours List last year.

She’s also written a book called Chain Reaction: The Wondrous Chemistry of Everyday Life, in which she blends explanations of the science that surrounds us with moments of personal memoir.

Ijeoma's music list includes Mozart, Vivaldi, Bach and Johann Strauss.