Past & Present Research Group Members
Past & Present Research Group Members
CURRENT RESEARCH GROUP
Richard Chilvers
First year Ph.D. student
PolyNanoCat – Tailored Polymers for Heterogeneous Transition Metal Catalyst Assembly (EPSRC/SOFI CDT Studentship)
Eder Olivas-Ramos
First year Ph.D. student
Exploring Unusual Catalysts for CO/CO2 Hydrogenation Chemistries (CONACYT Scholarship, Mexico)
Alana Smith
Second year Ph.D. student
Sub-nano Base Metal Catalysts (SuBMiC) – Correlating Size and Electronic Effects on Catalytic Activity and Selectivity in Industrially-relevant Transformations (in collaboration with Johnson Matthey Catalysts – EPSRC ICASE)
Claire Brodie
Third year Ph.D. student
Catalytic Dimerisation of Olefins (in collaboration with Sasol Technology UK)
Stephen Rouse
Final year Ph.D. student
Organometallic Chemistry for Small Molecule Activation
Michael Heeran
Final year Ph.D. student
Lubricant Chemistry at the Interface of Surfaces (in collaboration with AkzoNobel and SOFI CDT)
Dr Li Li
Post-doctoral research associate (joint project with Dr S. Beaumont, Durham) in collaboration with Sinopec.
Amy Buckley
Final year M.Chem. project student
Callum Evans
Final year M.Chem. project student
PREVIOUS GROUP MEMBERS
Ph.D. STUDENTS
Dr Jaspreet Sanghera
Final year Ph.D. student – writing-up
Catalytic Dimerisation of Olefins (in collaboration with Sasol Technology UK)
Current position: Johnson Matthey Catalysts, Billingham, UK
Dr Michael Lamb
Final year Ph.D. student – writing-up
Heterogeneous Catalysts for Olefin Oligomerisation (Industrial CASE award with Johnson Matthey)
Current position: Johnson Matthey Catalysts, Stockton-on-Tees, UK
Dr Anna Aldred (née Prentis) (Ph.D. 2014-2017)
Responsive Organophosphorus Chemistry
Current position: Public Engagement Officer, RSC (Cambridge)
Dr Jack Rowbotham (Ph.D. 2011-2017)
Metal-Uronide Coordination and Thermochemistry in Kelps
Current position: Post-doctoral researcher in the group of Prof. K. Vincent, University of Oxford, UK
Dr James Radcliffe (Ph.D. 2011-2014)
Selective Catalytic Alkene Tri- and Tetra-merisation (in collaboration with Sasol Technology UK)
Current position: Post-doctoral researcher in the group of Dr M. Ingleson, University of University of Manchester, UK
Dr Luke Tuxworth (Ph.D. 2010-2013)
Novel P-Alkene and POCOP Ligands: Synthesis, Coordination Chemistry, and Reactivity
Current position: Research Scientist, Johnson Matthey Catalysts, Billingham, UK
Dr Antonis Messinis (Ph.D. 2010-2013)
Metal Imido-catalysed Ethylene and 1-Hexene Dimerisation
Current position: Post-doctoral researcher in the group of Prof. R. Bedford, University of Bristol, UK
Dr Dan Smith (Ph.D. 2006-2009)
Ph.D. Metal-catalysed CO2 Activation and Organophosphorus Chemistry
Current position: CatSci (Cardiff)
Dr Lynn Donlon (Ph.D. 2006-2009)
Ph.D. Development of Novel Late Transition Metal Polymerisation Initiators (joint research project with Dr Ezat Khosravi)
Current position: CPI, Sedgefield, UK
Dr Mike Wood (Ph.D. 2006-2009)Development of Commercial Processes to Produce 1,4-Butandiol and THF
Part time industrial Ph.D. (Davy Process Technology, Stockton-on-Tees)
Dr William Wright (Ph.D. 2005-2008)
Ph.D. Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of Molybdenum and Tungsten Imido Complexes or Relevance to Alkene Dimerization
Current position: Post-doctoral researcher in the group of Prof. R. Palkovits, Germany
Dr Carly Anderson (M.Phil.: 2002 – 2003 {Leicester}; Ph.D.: 2004 – 2007 {Durham})
Ph.D. Synthesis of Multidentate PNE Ligands and Their Late Transition Metal Coordination Chemistry
Current position:
Shelly Hammond (Ph.D.: 2003 – 2006)
Dr Alice Hickman (Ph.D.: 2001 – 2004 {Leicester/Durham})
Ph.D. Towards The Synthesis of Alkoxy-substituted [2.2]-para-Cyclophanes and [2.2]-para-Cyclophane-1-enes
Dr Toby Reeve (Ph.D.: 2000 – 2003 {Leicester})
Ph.D. Diol-functionalised Polystyrene Resins: Synthesis and Applications
Current position: Scientific Editor, Thieme, Germany
Dr Sam Suhard (Ph.D.: 2000 – 2003 {Leicester}; PDRA Durham 2004-2005)
Ph.D. Towards Polymer-supported Schrock-tyope Initiators for Olefin Metathesis
Current position: Research Leader, IMEC, Leuvain, Belgium
Dr Martin Hanton (Ph.D.: 1999 – 2002 {Leicester})
Ph.D. Coordination Complexes of Bidentate Phosphino-Imine Ligands: Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity
Current position: Head of R&D, TÜV SÜD NEL, East Kilbride, Glasgow Scotland
Dr Stephanie Holland (Ph.D.: 1997 – 2000 {Imperial College, London})
Joint project with Prof. Nick Long
Ph.D. Synthesis, Characterization and Transition Metal Complexes of Nitrogen-containing Ligands
Current position: Johnson Matthey, Royston, UK
Dr Anna-Marie Williamson (Ph.D.: 1996 – 1999 {Imperial College, London})
Ph.D. Studies of Novel Palladium and Platinum Compounds
Current position: Mettler-Toledo, Leicester, UK
M.Sc. Students
Antonis Messinis (2008-2009)
M.Sc. Phosphorus-containing π-Conjugated Materials
Carly Anderson (M.Phil.: 2002 – 2003 {Leicester})
M.Phil. N-Pyrrole Phosphine-Imines: Synthesis and Coordination Chemistry
POSTDOCS
Dr Kevin Vincent
Post-doctoral research associate – UK/EPSRC Catalysis Hub
CarboCat: Ligand Design for Enhanced Proton Transfer in Homogeneous Alkene Alkoxycarbonylation – Understanding and Application
Joint project with Profs. Matthew Clarke and Michael Buehl (St Andrews)
Current position: PDRA, Department of Chemistry, UEA, UK
Dr Ben Smith
Post-doctoral research associate
MacroBioCrude
Current position: Johnson Matthey Catalysts, Billingham, UK
Dr Simon Beaumont
Post-doctoral research associate (joint project with CompactGTL)
Exploring Fundamental Aspects of the Operation of Fischer-Tropsch Catalysts
Dr Louise Gildea (née Parkes)
Post-doctoral research associate (joint project with Dr H. Christopher Greenwell, Durham)
BioAlgaeSorb: Catalytic Transormations of Bio-derived Feedstocks
Dr Ben Coombs
Post-doctoral research associate (joint project with Dr H. Christopher Greenwell, Durham)
MOCAT: A Combined Approach for Probing Structure and Metal Ion Position in Poorly-ordered Mixed Metal Oxides
Current position: Post-doctoral research associate with Prof. Uwe Bunz, Heidelburg, Germany
Dr Lise Baiget
EU Marie Curie Research Fellow
Innovative Bidentate Chelating Ligands for Applications in Catalysis
Dr Sulaf Vukusic (EPSRC)
VISITING RESEARCHRS
Dr Hélène Bonin-Dubarle (Toulouse; visiting Durham)
Prof. Régis Réau (Universite de Rennes 1; visiting Durham)
Dr Sebastien Bontemps (Toulouse; visiting Durham)
Dr Emmanuelle Despagnet-Ayoub (Toulouse; visiting Leicester)
PROJECT STUDENTS
Kate Lieberth (Wuerzburg; ERASMUS student)
Cherry (Kay-Yan) Cheung (Durham)
Jamie Barrett (Durham)
Sarah Williams (Durham)
Alex Waterfall (Durham)
Billy Tomlinson (Durham)
Yohan Messina (Université de Rennes 1, France; ERASMUS student)
Flora Davies (Durham)
Matthew Barker (Durham)
Matthew Gibbings (Durham)
Edward Leslie (Durham)
Owen Metters (Durham)
Andreas Phanopoulos (Durham)Jenny Laroche (Université de Rennes 1, France; ERASMUS student)
Luke Tuxworth (Durham)
Tom Finan (Durham)
Peter Harvey (Durham)
Harry Florry (Durham)
Kim Schiebler (Durham – summer student)
Matthew Hughes (Durham)
Adrian Rowland (Durham)
Manisha Lalloo (Durham)
Sophia Solomon (Durham)
Matthew Harknes (Durham)
Chris Roland (Durham)
Sebastian Bischoff (ERASMUS; Durham)
Adam Patterson (Durham)
Helen McPhee (Durham)
Celine Olivier (Rennes, Leicester)
Emma Carrington-Smith (Leicester)
Alex Jones (Leicester)
Nina Griep-Raming (ERASMUS; Leicester)
Gavinder Barth (Leicester)
Tim Woodcock (Leicester)
Kelly Simmons (Leicester)
Duncan Horler (Leicester)
Carlos Mongay (Imperial College)
Celine Frison (ERASMUS; Imperial College)
Soni Basra (Imperial College)