Materials and Fundamental Applications

Dr Kaur is a dedicated and research-oriented Assistant Professor with over 14 years of experience in teaching and advanced research in chemistry. Expertise in nanomaterials, environmental remediation, and analytical techniques. Proven track record in publications, patents, and academic contributions with strong interest in innovative materials and foldamer-based systems.

Abigail Knight is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research group works at the interface of chemical biology and polymer science, developing protein-mimetic synthetic macromolecules with biomimetic hierarchical structure. Abby completed her PhD at UC Berkeley with Prof. Matthew Francis and her postdoctoral training at UC Santa Barbara with Prof. Craig Hawker. Her group's research aims to engineer synthetic nanomaterials that rival the binding capabilities of proteins, with applications in global health and sustainability. She is a 2024 Sloan Research Fellow and recipient of the NSF CAREER Award.

Dr Geertje van Keulen is Associate Professor in Microbial Biochemistry in the Institute of Life Science in the Medical School at Swansea University. She assembles and leads interdisciplinary research and innovation teams with microbiology at its core, expanding understanding of and sustainably exploiting the chemical and materials properties of microbes and amyloid proteins in living, manufactured and natural (soil) environments.

Geertje collaborates across diverse disciplines in e.g. biofilms, biomaterials and soil science, (bio)chemical engineering, hot tub and waste water sanitation and omniphobicity.

Aaron leads his group in Bioinspired Molecular Interfaces in the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde. He takes an interdisciplinary approach based on molecular engineering and biophysical chemistry to pioneer peptides and peptide-mimetic “peptoids” with precise molecular functionalities for antimicrobials, self-assembly, and biomedical applications. He also develops plant-based polyphenol-biopolymer composites as coatings and sustainable materials, and he frequently engages with industry in both consultancies and collaborative projects. Aaron obtained his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany, and postdoctoral training at Northwestern University, USA. His awards include an US NIH National Research Service Award and a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Young Investigator award. Among various engagements, Aaron is Co-Director of the Strathclyde’s Leverhulme Doctoral School in Nature Inspired Acoustics responsible for materials development, and he serves as secretary of the Royal Society of Chemistry Glasgow and West of Scotland section.

Thompson Group research focuses on structure guided rational design to synthesise molecules that address problems in biology, medicine and materials. The research programme includes:

Protein-protein interaction inhibition
Tools to interrogate protein misfolding conditions
Abiotic foldamers: programmable 3D architectures

Professor Turner's interests lie in the field of molecular recognition, and in particular the development of artificial recognition elements. Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIP) are a simple elegant biomimetic technology where recognition sites, analogous to the binding sites of antibodies, enzymes and receptors are created in polymeric materials containing complementary functionality to a target molecule. After preparation cavities that are complementary to the shape and chemical profile of the target are formed allowing specific recognition and rebinding.
MIPs represent a generic, versatile, scalable and cost-effective approach to the creation of synthetic molecular receptors; and are rapidly becoming commercially relevant.

Professor Ian Hamley is Diamond Professor of Physical Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Reading.

Dr Alison Edwards is the Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the Universities of Greenwich and Kent at Medway.

Professor Christopher A Hunter FRS is the Herchel Smith Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Emmanuel College. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society and an Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy.

Edina Rosta is a Professor of Molecular Modelling in the Condensed Matter & Materials Physics group of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London.