Dr.Colin Pulham graduated with a DPhil. in Chemistry from the University of Oxford. He moved to the School of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh in 1992 as a Royal Society University Research Fellow before being appointed as a lecturer in 1996, senior lecturer in 2001, and Personal Chair in High-Pressure Chemistry in 2008. Since 2008 he has been the Director of Teaching in the School of Chemistry. He is a member of the Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions (CSEC) at Edinburgh and has research interests in the study of the effects of high pressure on molecular compounds such as pharmaceuticals, energetic materials (explosives, propellants), fuels, and lubricants. He works closely with colleagues at the ISIS Neutron Facility and at the Diamond Light Source. He has a longstanding interest in public engagement and was awarded the Royal Society Kohn Award for Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science in 2005 and the Tam Dalyell Prize in 2011.

    His  energetic materials research revolves around solving real-world problems present in modern explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics.

    Two main issues with energetic materials are their sensitivity and stability in a range of environment.To deal with the former, several projects are focused on multi-component crystallisation - combining two or more components to yield a new crystalline material with intermediate properties. This work is taken further by using pressure to probe both the mechanisms behind sensitivity, and the behaviour of materials during detonation. In depth crystallographic investigation of these materials attempts to predict the properties of these materials from their structural motifs. 

    To tackle the stability aspect, a project is currently focusing on how materials can be altered or doped such that the negative effects of temperature cycling (routinely experienced in modern operations through extreme climates and high-altitude flight) can be mitigated or suppressed.