“Perfume is mentioned throughout the Bible. This talk will cover uses of perfume in biblical times, how perfumery and pharmacy have always been closely associated, and the difficulties of trying to identify the ingredients used. “
Speaker bio:
Charles Sell graduated in chemistry in 1970 at The Queen’s University of Belfast and then gained a doctorate in organic chemistry from the Australian National University. He has also carried out research at ETH in Zürich, the University of Warwick and MIT in Boston.
He joined Proprietary Perfumes Ltd. (later to become PPF, then Quest International and now Givaudan) in 1976. His work has covered all aspects of synthetic organic chemistry as applied to the fragrance industry, from discovery of novel materials through process R&D to improvement of established chemical manufacturing processes.
His interest in the design of novel fragrance ingredients, coupled with a long-standing interest in the chemistry of living organisms, led to a deepening interest in olfaction and for the last 5 years of his career in Givaudan, he worked in that area, largely in collaboration with TecnoScent, a joint venture between Givaudan and ChemCom dedicated to the study of human olfactory receptors.
He has published a large number of original research papers, reviews, patents and books.
Since retiring from Givaudan, he qualified as a Guide at Canterbury Cathedral. His latest book, on which this talk is based, combines his love of perfumery with that of the cathedral’s early medieval windows.