Newsletter
Issue 12. August 2024
Editorial
We hope that everyone is enjoying summer – despite the weather!!!!
The CDT Annual Conference took place on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th July at The Village Leeds North. Two days filled with fantastic student presentations, posters and invited speakers from across academia and industry. We hope that everyone enjoyed the conference. We even had a private area to watch the football!!!!
A big thank you to those who were involved in the organising and running of the conference.
Congratulations
Congratulations
Congratulations to Dr Harrison Johnson-Evans who graduated on Thursday 11th July.
We would also like to congratulate Dr Raphael Stone who passed his viva on Tuesday 9th July.
Other News
Cohort 5 attended the Behavioural Aspects of Decision Making course in April.
Members of Cohort 2 attended a thesis session in May.
Cohort 4 attended the Ethics in a Global World training in May.
All cohorts were invited to attend an Impact Session in June which was a follow-on event to the Britest led molecules to impact event which was held at the Guildhall in York in March.
Michigan Placement - Will Grant
I went on a 6 week placement visit to the University of Michigan to try and combine my PhD work with the protocol that has been developed here to model the rheology in film-blowing processes. I was made aware of this opportunity via my supervisors who knew the head of department in Michigan, Ron Larson. He had also seen some of my early work and was interested in what I did as it related to a specific problem that he wanted to explore. I met Ron in person at a conference in the summer and we discussed the possibility of me going out to Michigan to try and help him with the problem that he wanted to look at. There were a few back and forth meetings with Ron remotely and we agreed dates for my visit and some early ideas of what I would do when I was there. Now that we had agreed some specific dates for my visit, I could get in contact with the relevant departments within the University of Leeds to be authorised to go to Michigan. After finding some suitable accommodation for an extended stay, flights and completing the risk assessment, I was all sorted to head off to Michigan.
The end goal is to take their rheological predictions and use it to predict the degree of crystallinity within their polymer. This would likely take longer than the 6 week time period that I would be in the US. As a less ambitious goal for when I was in Michigan, we decided to try and predict the crystallisation half time of polyethylene and compare it to some experimental data. The theory for quiescent homogeneous nucleation rate is not very well understood, so finding some nucleation rates at colder temperatures has been a challenge as the current methodology that I have been using does not capture the nucleation rate at cold temperatures very well for what we would expect. Once some solid theory has been found for this, the predictions will be quite straightforward to make.
Whilst I was out in Michigan I did manage to go and see the final basketball game of the season against Nebraska University. It was great to see so many people getting behind the team despite them losing on the day. The weather has kept me guessing the entire time I was there. I got snow and -7 degree temperatures, all the way to sunny and 22 degree temperatures. Thankfully I had packed for all weather types otherwise it could have been quite miserable!
Student Profile - Emma Jones
Background:
I’m originally from Frodsham, a small village just outside of Liverpool. Prior to starting the Molecules to Product CDT, I completed an integrated masters in chemistry at the University of Nottingham, graduating in 2022. In my third year I took part in a summer placement within Prof. Ross Denton’s research group, which was my first real insight into the day-to-day life of working in a research laboratory. After my placement, I worked in Prof. Liam Ball’s research group and also throughout my masters.
Why I chose Molecules to Product CDT:
During my summer placement and masters project I developed a keen interest in producing more efficient and sustainable chemical reactions, creating improved routes for important pharmaceuticals by applying “greener” approaches and technologies. As the CDT has a major emphasis on sustainability this created a desirable opportunity to develop my research interest. I was also enticed by the industrial aspect of the CDT with opportunities for research placements gaining experience outside of the academic setting. The multidisciplinary nature of the CDT is very interesting and allows the expansion of my knowledge in areas outside of my project.
My Project:
My work aims to develop sustainable, efficient, economically viable and scalable photochemical methods for the synthesis of molecules with pharmaceutical importance. Photocatalysis is a powerful and frequently adopted method in synthetic chemistry with many advantages, but a few major shortcomings make it less favourable, particularly on scale-up. These include, a reliance on expensive and precious metal based catalysts (for example Ir(III) and Ru(II) complexes) and poor catalyst lifetimes, leading to high loadings, due to a limited understanding of, and ability to prevent, catalyst decomposition. This project will investigate Cu based photocatalytic systems with the integration of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands. NHC ligands and their corresponding Cu catalysts are easily synthesised implementing simple, cheap and flexible processes such as electrochemical techniques. Once synthetic methodology is established using novel Cu complexes the project will investigate deployment in lab-based flow systems.
Other Interests:
Outside of chemistry I enjoy listening to music and going to gigs, hiking (mainly in the Peak District and Snowdonia), going to the gym and playing squash.
Thessaloniki Conference - Sowmya Narsipur & Gloria Hernandez
We had the opportunity to attend the 19th Food Colloids Conference held in Thessaloniki, Greece, from April 14th to 18th. This gathering brought together global experts from both academia and industry to share their latest research and knowledge in the complex and exciting world of food colloids. This year’s conference had a particular focus on sustainability with clean, environmentally friendly, plant-based approaches. Additionally, it also explored non-food, or close to food, applications including nutraceuticals, pharmaceutics, packaging and medicine, providing ground for interdisciplinary scientific interactions. This was our first international conference, and we were amazed by the breadth of research and quality of presentations.
Organised by the University of Leeds for the first time in 1986, this biennial conference continues to unite scientists across various disciplines, focusing on the physical chemistry aspects of colloidal food systems. The atmosphere was filled with energy and enthusiasm as the attendees eagerly discussed their projects, offering invaluable insights and expertise. We formed valuable connections with several fellow PhD students, academics and industry professionals. The interactions not only enriched our understanding but also expanded our network, encouraging opportunities for collaboration and growth. It wasn’t all work. The organisers had arranged for a night of dinner and dancing to help everyone relax after a long day of talks which was much appreciated.
Science aside, Thessaloniki is a charming city, a perfect fusion of historical attraction and vibrant modernity. The conference venue, situated along the sea, offered breath-taking sunset views and enjoyable walks. We were fortunate to have good weather and an unforgettable time in Thessaloniki. We can’t wait to participate in future conferences. We thank the CDT in Molecules to Product for their generous support.
Student Profile - Mallika Rana
Background:
I’m originally from Bath and then moved up to Durham to study Chemistry. I finished my MChem in 2017 which included doing my masters project at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. I then joined the Component Delivery team at Infineum in Oxfordshire. In my work there as a research chemist I developed new additives for engine lubricants, optimising the synthetic routes from small-scale early scoping reactions to large-scale process optimisation.
Why I chose Molecules to Product CDT:
I had heard about Molecules to Product for a few years before applying due to their collaborations with Infineum. I could see how the research being performed as part of the CDT was having a direct impact on industry projects and how important deep fundamental understanding was to the product development process. When I decided that I wanted to do a PhD it seemed like a great choice with my experience in the chemical product industry and my interest in doing a longer-term in-depth project.
My Project:
My project is a collaboration between Schools of Chemistry and Design to optimise and understand a new type of polyester dye developed in Leeds. These new dyes remove the need for polluting dispersants while providing equivalent performance within commercially used dyeing machinery. I am working on optimising the synthesis conditions to scale-up for commercial trials and understanding how the molecular design of the dyes affects their performance.
Other Interests:
Outside of my research, I enjoy painting, printing and cooking. I also love living in Leeds, walking my dog in all the lovely parks and enjoying the amazing restaurants and pubs.
European Symposia in Biological and Organic Chemistry - France - Lawrence Collins
Biochemistry, Beaches, and Beef Bourguignon in Biarritz.
The European Symposia in Biological and Organic Chemistry, ESBOC, has been held in Gregynog since its inception in 1967. This was the first year ESBOC was hosted elsewhere, in a charming surfing resort on the Basque coast. Over the conference I was treated to three days of engaging talks from both world-renowned scientists and gifted PhD researchers taking the first steps in their careers.
The breadth of science was inspirational. Russell Cox provided fascinating insights into engineering the genomes of fungi to manufacture natural products, and how fungi could be fed garbage as fuel for biosynthesis. Lena Daumann gave my favourite talk of the conference, examining the role of lanthanide metals in bacteria, with exciting implications in how such lanthanide bacteria could be harnessed to extract precious metals from electronic waste.
The venue, La Chambre D’Amour, reminded me of a Bond villain headquarters. The hotel behemoth backed directly onto its eponymous beach. A quick dip in the water ended in a near death experience; the 4 metre-high waves delighting the nearby surfers were no match for my Frosties 50 metre front crawl. Thankfully my seafaring trauma could be soothed with seemingly endless supplies of Chenin Blanc on tap.
Student Profile - Thomas Barker
Background:
Born and raised in Bradford, I began studying for an integrated master’s degree in Chemical and Materials Engineering, doing research into piezoelectric materials for cochlear implants as a 4th year project before embarking on a PhD project with the CDT.
Why I chose Molecules to Product CDT:
The ability to discuss potential research areas and create projects around your interests was very appealing to me. I also appreciate the training modules and sense of collaboration between different but complementary research projects.
My Project:
My project involves understanding the fundamental properties which influence the growth and dissolution behaviour of crystals. Crystal growth defines the crystal structure of a substance, which will often strongly define its properties and performance. This applies to a variety of formulations across the chemical industries (pharmaceuticals, agriculture etc.). This can be achieved by studying the dissolution and growth kinetics for particular faces of a single crystal. This means that the energy interactions associated with certain faces and their functional groups can be coupled to their respective growth/dissolution rates. This could be used to predict the behaviour of future compounds, to expedite the active ingredient development lifecycle.
Other Interests:
I also occasionally enjoying playing videogames and cooking, though both only at an amateur level.
Dates for your diary
Dates University will be closed:
26 & 27/08/2024 - August bank holiday
Contact Us
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecules to Product
Visit our website here
Email us: moleculestoproduct@leeds.ac.uk
