Present Group Members

PhD Students

Gamal Aboulgasem
Gamal is working on new routes into our palladium catalysed lactam synthesis.

Hamid Mehdi-Zodeh
Hamid is working on the synthesis of catphos-type phosphines and applications in catalysis in collaboration with Simon Doherty.

Nicholas Ward
Nico is working on the synthesis and catalytic applications of new kitphos-type phosphines in collaboration with Simon Doherty.

MChem Students

Claire Dutson
Claire is working on the synthesis and evaluation of immobilised N-heterocyclic carbenes as ligands for gold catalysis.

Sophie Ekberg
Sophie is working on new gold-catalysed cyclisation chemistry.

James Lawson
James is working on palladium catalysed carbonylation chemistry.

Past Group Members

Post-Docs

Kirill Tchabanenko
Kirill worked on our palladium catalysed lactam synthesis. He defined the scope and stereochemical course of the key transformation, extended the chemistry to the synthesis of alkaloid targets. He went on to work as a postdoc in Prof. Baldwin's group in Oxford and then took up a lectureship at Queen's University, Belfast.

Sean Durran
Sean worked on the synthesis of new bisphosphine ligands for alkene/CO copolymerisation and alkoxycarbonylation.

Rakesh Rath
Rakesh worked on the synthesis of new NUPHOS ligands and their derived transition metal complexes. He studied a number of catalytic processes including transfer hydrogenation, Diels-Alder and ene reactions, and alkyne hydrocarboxylation. He then joined Biocon in India to work as a chemist.

PhD Students

Simon Ainge
Simon worked on palladium catalysed carbonylation chemistry. He went on to postdoc for Prof. Vogel in Lausanne and is now a Chemistry teacher.

Mark Muldowney
Mark worked on the metal catalysed aziridination of alkenes. He then joined Shasun as a chemist.

Andrew Harm
Andy worked on the design and synthesis of bisoxazoline ligands for asymmetric cyclopropanation and aziridination of alkenes. He went on to postdoc for Prof. Barrett at Imperial College and then joined Chemson.

Simon Harwood
Simon worked on the palladium catalysed synthesis of delta-lactams. He went on to postdoc for Prof. Shibasaki in Tokyo and then to work for GlaxoSmithKline. He obtained an MBA from MIT Sloane and subsequently rejoined GSK.

Haydn Maughan
Haydn worked on metal catalysed carbonylation chemistry. He then joined Palintest to work as a chemist.

Paul Belcher
Paul worked on the design and synthesis of new bis-oxazoline ligands for study in asymmetric catalysis. He worked as a research associate at Arizona State University.

Mike Betham
Mike worked on the synthesis and catalyst testing of phosphine and carbene based polymer-supported ligands. He was a postdoc with Robin Bedford in Bristol and then joined Davy Protech as a chemist.

Julie Bellamy (nee Cay)
Julie worked on the synthesis of lactones and related carbohydrate targets using allenes obtained by palladium catalysed carbonylation chemistry. She then joined Shasun as a chemist.

Iain Lawson
Iain worked on developing our palladium catalysed carbonylation chemistry and applying it to new targets. He then joined Aesica to work as a chemist.

Mimi Nguyen
Mimi worked on the design and synthesis of new immobilised bis-oxazoline ligands for study in asymmetric catalysis.

Paul Stoker
Paul worked on synthetic applications of our palladium catalysed carbonylation chemistry and was supported by an industrial CASE award with GSK. He went on to work for Aesica and then joined NuChem as a chemist.

Amy McRae
Amy is worked on the design of new asymmetric catalysts. She joined GSK to work as an analytical chemist.

Nick Sore
Nick worked on the synthesis of chiral analogues of NUPHOS. He is currently writing up.

MPhil Students

Rachel Dixon
Rachel worked on the synthesis of new phosphole oxazoline ligands for use in asymmetric synthesis. She then did a PhD with Simon Jones and went on to postdoc in America.

Shireen El Menabawey
Shireen worked on new routes for the synthesis of aminovinylphosphonates. She then joined Veolia as a chemist and subsequently joined the bulk liquid and gas logistics provider Simon Storage as a manager.