Student Profiles

Having had a keen interest in science (particularly chemistry) for as long as  I can remember, I decided to undertake a four year Masters in Chemistry at The University of Huddersfield in 2004. During my degree I was fortunate enough to have the chance to gain industrial experience by participating in a placement year at the pharmaceutical company Thornton & Ross Ltd, this experience furthered my interest in the field of Medicinal chemistry, to the extent that I took the opportunity to expand my degree to include a medicinal chemistry aspect.

I graduated from Huddersfield in June 2008 with a first class honours degree in MChem. with medicinal chemistry. I really enjoyed researching my final year project at Huddersfield so therefore wanted to find a Ph.D. that would build on the experience already gained but also open new opportunities in the field of science. After searching varying institutions, I became of aware of Prof. Nicholas Turner’s research group at the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (MIB). The project available focused in the field of industrial biocatalysis and offered great opportunities to expand my skill/knowledge base, hence, I joined the Turner research group in July 2008.

My research involves developing new methods for the preparation of enantiomerically pure β-amino acids, using biocatalysts. I am now a year into my research and have found Manchester to be a really enjoyable experience so far. Facilities within the MIB are excellent and funding from research councils and potential industrial sponsors make Manchester a great place to carry out academic research. Friendly staff and students are always willing to help and provide invaluable knowledge from many scientific backgrounds. I look forward to completing my Ph.D. in three years time in which I have no doubt that I will have learnt many invaluable skills which I will carry with me throughout my career in science.