Sella was appointed Lecturer at
UCL in 1990. He was awarded an
EPSRC Senior Media Fellowship from 2007 to 2012. He was promoted to Professor in 2012. His research interests include the molecular chemistry of the lanthanides, the confinement of elemental phosphorus inside carbon nanotubes, and the synthesis and properties of layered carbonitrides. His monthly column in the Royal Society of Chemistry's
Chemistry World, "Classic Kit", with guest contributions by his Masters student, Talitha Humphrey and others, explores the history of chemistry through the lens of scientific apparatus. He is also well known for science demonstrations for both school children and adults. He sits on the Scientific Advisory Board of the
Cheltenham Science Festival. He was awarded the 2014
Michael Faraday Prize from the
Royal Society for "his excellent work in science communication". Since February 2014, he has been a frequent guest speaker in a
BBC World Service radio programme called "
Elements". He explains how
chemical elements behave, react, and how they are used. In the programme that aired on 16 September 2016 featuring
thorium, he temporarily replaced
Justin Rowlatt as the host. He has also presented several programmes on BBC Radio 4 and
BBC World Service. Sella returned his
Michael Faraday Prize in June 2025 over the
Royal Society's "failure to take stronger action against
Elon Musk, a fellow of the UK academy, for presiding over 'onslaughts on US science." == References ==