Research Background
Educational Background
BSc(Hons), University of Bristol, Prof Thomas Simpson FRS (Sep 2008-May 2009)
Synthesis of 4-Mercapto-3-oxobutyric Acid as a Polyketide Synthase Trap: Ed graduated with a BSc (Hons) Chemistry from the University of Bristol in 2009, working with Prof Thomas Simpson on small chemical probes for biosynthetic pathways during his BSc project year. Besides developing a small molecule to probe for the actinorhodin Polyketide Synthase (actPKS) system under the guidance of Dr Chris Arthur, he also transformed E. coli by plasmid transfection to produce a protein for assays.
MSc by Research (ISCE:Chem Studentship), University of Southampton, Prof Ganesan (Sep 2009-Mar 2011) (now: UEA)
Analogues of Nelfinavir and Proteasome Inhibitors: Ed undertook an MSc by Research at the University of Southampton under a European Union 7th Framework INTERREG ISCE:Chem Studentship to work with Prof Ganesan -- now at UEA -- on small peptidomimetic drug candidates, completing in 2011.
Ed then passed his modular synthetic method on to another student, who continued the work when Ganesan took up a professorship at UEA.
PhD
PhD (QMUL Graduate Teaching Studentship), Queen Mary, University of London
(Visitor/Technician at Southampton Oct 2014-Sep 2015/Oct 2015-Jan 2016)
Prof Stephen Goldup (Sep 2011-Sep 2015; Oct 2015-Jan 2016, joint)
An Active-Template Mechanistic Approach to Homo- and Hetero-Circuit [3]Rotaxanes: Awarded a four-year Queen Mary, University of London Graduate Teaching Studentship in 2011 to work with Prof Stephen Goldup (now: University of Birmingham). Ed joined the group originally to work on Steve's interests in catalysis using rotaxanes, mechanically-interlocked molecules where two or more components, despite having no covalent bonds between them, are inseparable without breaking a covalent bond. However, the unexpected discovery of a novel series of rotaxane side-products of an existing Copper-mediated Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition (CuAAC) synthesis protocol prompted a full mechanistic investigation, which brought him into the Supramolecular fold. Condition screens, developing novel components -- macrocycles, azides and alkynes -- alongside synthetic optimizations, and a lot of ROESY analysis culminated in an updated mechanistic proposal.
The group relocated to Southampton in 2014 where Ed joined them as a visitor, being adopted at QMUL by Prof Mike Watkinson -- now at Manchester Met -- then, after completing his thesis, he went to Kanazawa University, Japan to work with Prof Tomoki Ogoshi (now: Kyoto University) on Pillarene macrocycles on a three-month JSPS Summer Programme Fellowship. Upon returning to Southampton, Ed extended his research towards rotaxane-lanthanide complexes, working as a research technician for three months with Steve and Dr Jon Kitchen (now: MacDiarmid Institute, NZ). Ed received his PhD from QMUL in 2016.
Post-Doctoral: UK
Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry
In 2016, Ed started his first PDRA position in the group of Prof Denise Sheer in the Blizard Institute, working both with Dr Johan Aarum on protein assays and in the lab of Dr Chris Jones in the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences to make molecules and metal-ligand complexes to screen.
Ed returned to the East End to work on small organic molecules and complexes to run in protein assays in the Blizard Institute at the Barts and London School of Medicine and Dentistry, under the guidance of Prof Denise Sheer. In addition to working on cell cultures and protein screens to validate these molecules, Ed worked in the lab of Dr Chris Jones to synthesize the target compounds, back at the (former) School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary, University of London. Working as a Teaching Laboratory Technician, he continued in the lab to explore aryne chemistry, eventually becoming a Teaching Fellow in September 2018.
Dr Chris Jones (Sep 2017-Jan 2019; Oct 2020-Apr 2021)
Teaching Laboratory Technician/Teaching Fellow, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London
Ed remained at QMUL as a Teaching Laboratory Technician, remaining in the group of Dr Chris Jones to continue development of vanadium species and explore aryne chemistry towards novel conjugated systems for semiconducting devices. This research continued while he performed teaching duties, eventually being promoted to Teaching Fellow. After returning from his first stint at NIMS (see "2019-2024"), he returned to complete two further works on aryne methodology and vanadium.
In addition, he taught C1-level English for Chemistry remotely at the University of Regensburg, with four of his students having articles accepted in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Chemistry World magazine.
Post-Doctoral: Japan
JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow (Short-Term)/NIMS Postdoc, International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan
Ed joined the Frontier Molecules Group at MANA-NIMS, Tsukuba, Japan under Dr Takashi Nakanishi to develop functional supramolecular liquids based on pyridines.
Awarded a 12-month JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship, Ed joined the Frontier Molecules Group at MANA-NIMS, Tsukuba, Japan under Dr Takashi Nakanishi to develop functional supramolecular liquids, drawing on his pyridine work. He continued as a NIMS Postdoctoral Researcher until September 2020, returning to the UK to resolve personal issues arising from the COVID-19 epidemic.
MANA Postdoctoral Fellow, International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan
In May 2021 -- fresh out of quarantine -- Ed returned to MANA-NIMS on a MANA Postdoctoral Fellowship to join the Functional Chromophores Group under Dr Jonathan Hill. He briefly combined his heterocycle, polycyclic aromatics and co-ordination chemistry interests towards the development of novel photoelectronic assemblies, before discovering some molecules with remarkable and unusual self-assembly properties.
In addition to the usual chemical characterization techniques, Ed charactized these self-assemblies through optical microscopy, SEM, unusual heterocorrelation NMR, TGA, DSC and 1D SWAXS. Publications from this work and from other projects he performed these analyses for are entering publication but several are still in production.
Back to School
After taking time away from the laboratory for family reasons, Ed entered the Waseda Center for Japanese Language, joining their Japanese Language Programme for a semester. After completing his modules, he joined his current company.