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CDT Annual Conference 2022

Picture of the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council logo, a picture of three Postgraduate Researchers in a café and the EPSRC CDT in Molecules to Product logo. 2nd annual CDT conference, showcasing the achievements of Molecules to Product CDT researchers.

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecules to Product 2nd Annual Conference took place on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th July 2022, at Weetwood Hall, Leeds.

 

Please click below to view our conference flyer with agenda details:
Molecules to Product Conference Flyer 2022

 

Invited Speakers and Panel Members

Dr Neil George, Syngenta
Guest Speaker

A picture of guest speaker Neil George.

Dr Neil George is a senior fellow at Syngenta, having over 34 years’ experience with Syngenta (formerly ICI, Zeneca, and AstraZeneca) at sites around the UK. Neil has a PhD in Biochemical Engineering, and is a specialist in particle and surface science, and industrial crystallisation, processing, and formulation. Neil was previously the global process studies group leader from 1996-2018, helping to grow a particle science network based in the UK, Switzerland, the USA and China. From 2018, Neil has been engaged in a part-time secondment to the School and Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, as a visiting Professor. Neil has a multidisciplinary range of areas of interest, covering molecular self-assembly, solid state physical chemistry, and particle processing and formulation, as well as the physical chemistry and material science of biological materials and interfaces.

Dr Karen Robertson, University of Nottingham
Guest Speaker
Panel Discussion

A picture of guest speaker Dr Karen Robertson.

Dr Karen Robertson completed her PhD on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) at Imperial College London in 2012. Since then her work has spanned synthetic and physical chemistry, materials science and engineering through positions at Clariant Oil Services, the University of Bath and the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces. Dr Robertson develops flow technologies to understand and control solution-based assembly of materials with optimised properties. In 2018 Dr Robertson was awarded with an Anne McLaren Research Fellowship at the University of Nottingham where she is co-located with the Research Complex at Harwell at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory STFC site. She is known for her work on integrating flow synthesis and flow crystallisation as well as in situ monitoring of crystallisation processes in flow environments; uncovering polymorphic transitions during the flow crystallisation of pharmaceuticals through Raman spectroscopy and powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction. In 2020 she was awarded the younger crystallographer of the year award by the British Crystallographic Association.

Dr Anna Slater, University of Liverpool
Guest Speaker
Panel Discussion

A picture of guest speaker Dr Anna Slater.

Dr Anna Slater is a Royal Society URF and Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool. She received her PhD in supramolecular chemistry from the University of Nottingham in 2011. Following postdoctoral positions in porphyrin self-assembly (University of Nottingham) and porous organic cage materials (University of Liverpool) she took up a Royal Society-EPSRC Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship in 2016 and a Royal Society University Research Fellowship in 2021. Anna developed an interest in flow chemistry during her PDRA positions, recognising that flow technology has a lot to offer the supramolecular chemist; exploiting flow processes for enhanced control of chemistry is now a central theme of her work. Her research interests include molecular materials, enabling technology and organic synthesis and self-assembly.

Dr Jennifer Webb, Syngenta
Panel Discussion

A picture of panel member Dr Jennifer Webb.

Jennifer Webb is a Team Leader in the Particle Science Group at Syngenta UK based at the Jealott’s Hill R&D site. Her team works on early-stage solid-state and crystallisation support to active ingredient and formulation development with a focus on driving fundamental understanding and innovation for process improvements. She has a background in mathematical chemistry, completing a PhD in 2015 at the University of Warwick where she worked in both the computational chemistry and electrochemistry groups to link experimental surface measurement and molecular dynamics modelling. She was awarded an EPSRC early career fellowship at Warwick in 2016 to continue her research on modelling of molecular adsorption to crystal surfaces. She then joined Syngenta in 2017, where she continues to apply multidisciplinary approaches, working closely with company and academic collaborators around the world.

Dr Linda Pravinata, Quorn
Panel Discussion

A picture of panel member Dr Linda Pravinata.

Dr Linda Pravinata recently joined Quorn Foods in 2021 as Lead Innovation Scientist with research interests in texture development of meat analogue derived from filamentous fungal biomass. Prior to Quorn, Linda had an international career track spanned from industry to academia as a Scientist at PepsiCo R&D in Texas and teaching roles at universities in Indonesia and UK. During her teaching tenure at the University of Leeds School of Food Science and Nutrition, Linda also held an international fellowship (2018-2021) from the Royal Academy of Engineering for Newton Fund project in collaboration with rice farmers in Thailand and academics in Mahasarakham University. She was also a Michael Beverley Innovation Fellow awarded in 2020 for innovation in the development of value-added materials derived from fermented products.

 

Student Presentations

Product Performance Across Scales:
Emily Wynne, Emma Thompson, Mary Okeudo

Cohort 3 flash presentations:
Kudakwashe Chingono, Gabriele Sumanskaite, Sudeshna Roy, Robin Winder

Particulate Product Performance & Optimisation:
Janine Preston, Nathan Hennessy, William Grant

Structure-Property-Performance Modelling:
Sam Meredith, Ameer Alshukri, Callum Hutchinson

Sustainable Product Design:
Amna Khatun, Anna Morrell, Ashley Victoria

Continuous Flow Processing: Intelligent Operation:
Raphael Stone, Megan Bradbury, Lawrence Collins

Continuous Flow Processing: Novel Route Development:
Harrison Johnson-Evans, Anthony Griffiths, James Mottram

 

Please click below to view our conference flyer with agenda details:
Molecules to Product Conference Flyer 2022

 

Conference Organisers:
Harrison Johnson-Evans and Raphael Stone
(Cohort 1)

 

A picture of conference attendees.