Dave Smith is Professor of Chemistry at University of York, where he carries out fundamental research into supramolecular soft materials. He is a passionate educator, having given outreach lectures to thousands of UK school students and developing his own YouTube chemistry channel, with over half a million views. He is a global advocate on LGBT+ issues and has written, lectured and given many interviews on the subject. In recognition of this work, he was shortlisted for the ‘Gay Times’ Barbara Burford Award, and recognised as one of Chemical and Engineering News’ ‘Trailblazer LGBT+ Chemists’. As a bereaved single parent to his adopted son, Dave has also been influential in shaping discussions around support for carers, and the roles of fathers in modern science. Dave is well-known from Twitter – as @professor_dave he has over 25,000 followers.