Prof. Steve Tennison has worked in the field of nanoporous carbon materials and their applications for more than 30 years. Within the BP research centre he was responsible for the team that developed the new Ruthenium on carbon ammonia synthesis catalyst that is now in use in the largest plants in the world. In 1995, along with Andy Blackburn, he established MAST Carbon to continue the development and commercialization of a new range of advanced polymer derived nanoporous carbons for use in air purification systems, catalysis, blood filtration and electrochemical applications. He was made a visiting professor at the University of Bath in 2003.