• Question: What are some current projects that you’ve been working on?

    Asked by anon-350898 on 7 Mar 2023.
    • Photo: Alice Martin

      Alice Martin answered on 7 Mar 2023:

      I have been working on a range of different projects over the past couple of months. One fun project I have been finishing up is trying to build molecular cubes made of carbon, called cubane.

      Cubane is an interesting molecule, and one that people are interested in to try and replace benzene (a really common structure found in chemistry). My project looked at using light to make these molecules, which is important in chemistry at the moment to try and make processes more sustainable. Happily, our idea worked, and you can make these cubane molecules with light and hopefully more work will be done on this chemistry in the future.

    • Photo: Emmett McKenna

      Emmett McKenna answered on 7 Mar 2023:

      I’m am one part of several project teams as I specialise in developing analytical methods so it’s quite varied.

      1. New food dyes (from natural sources to replace artificial dyes which may cause cancer).
      2. Human milk Oligosaccharides (sugars in breast milk to make infant formula better for babies).
      3. A lung cancer drug which is going through clinical trials.
      4. Amino acid profiles of modified foods (amino Acids are the building blocks of protein and are important for nutrition and flavour).
      5. Valorisation of food wastes (trying to get useful products from waste streams of industrial food production).

    • Photo: Graeme Dykes

      Graeme Dykes answered on 8 Mar 2023:

      In industry, our work is confidential, either to protect customers or to make sure that no one steals our materials or processes. Once they are protected by patents, then some information is made public.

      I have been making antibody drug conjugates for customers in the UK and Europe

    • Photo: Martin McCoustra

      Martin McCoustra answered on 8 Mar 2023:

      I have two projects running at the moment and one about to start…

      The first looks at how metal atoms on the surfaces of dust grains in space can make complex molecules. We call this project AstroCat.

      The second is looking a a new way of degrading waste plastic using something called a plasma… This is a bit like a gas but contains a mixture of electrons, ions and neutral atoms. Plasma is a very reactive substance and ideal of breaking down waste materials in a clean and controllable way.

      The one that is about to start is with a huge company that makes whisky. They want to know how the flavour is released by from the wood in which the whisky is stored and to be able to predict how long that will take.

      All of them a fun to be involved with as I get to work with other scientists and learn new things.

    • Photo: Nathalie Oguntona

      Nathalie Oguntona answered on 9 Mar 2023:

      Working in a few projects and whilst I cant give too much details, can say 2 of them involve using a relatively new molecule for new combination drugs

    • Photo: Graeme Barker

      Graeme Barker answered on 13 Mar 2023:

      My research group is working on developing new medicines to combat heart and lung inflammation, which are currently very difficult for doctors to treat. We also have a project looking at pioneering new chemical reactions which if successful will make medicines cheaper and quicker to manufacture.

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