Josh Smalley

Meet the chemist who loves to experiment in the kitchen.

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By day, Dr Josh Smalley is a chemist working in a research B lab at the University of Leicester. However, away from the lab, he turns his science skills into a superpower for baking. In 2023, his talent took him through to the final of The Great British Bake Off. He sat down with The Week Junior Science+Nature to talk about the similarities between science experiments and baking, what his research involves and why scones are his favourite food to cook.

Mixing it up

Smalley is an organic chemist. This means that he studies substances made out of the element carbon. Carbon forms the building blocks of all living things on Earth, and its reactions power all living processes.

The research work Smalley does involves doing practical experiments. He says, "I love to be in the lab." This involves "mixing things into a flask, syringing things in, spooning things in and weighing them out". Remind you of anything? Experiments are a bit like cooking, and the aim of getting a product is the same as baking.

Kitchen chemistry

In chemistry, when mixing different chemicals together, it's important to follow a particular order because certain substances react with each other. It's the same with baking, Smalley says.