I am a synthetic/ medicinal chemist with an interest in synthesis of bioactive molecules and analytical tools for biochemical processes. My research interests include total synthesis of natural products, multi-step organic synthesis and development of bio-analytical methods. I am familiar pharmacophore based ligand design, SAR/QSAR analysis and bioassays using in vitro enzyme screenings. My experience includes synthesis design and commercialisation on multinational collaborative projects involving biologists, IP experts and marketing. I have significant experience in project/ laboratory management, supervision and training of research student, teaching and demonstrating chemistry practical to undergraduate students.
Helen Connaris
An experienced group leader and manager of research projects and teams in academia and in SME, with focus on developing novel non-antibody protein therapeutics for application in disease. Strongly motivated individual to find biological solutions to existing biological problems, particularly in the area of health. An assertive but conscientious team player with experience in delivering projects to specific timelines.
Rosemary Lynch
I am a synthetic/medicinal chemist with extensive experience in biotech and pharma now expanding my skill set in the areas of molecular biology and synthetic biology, towards diversification of natural products of medicinal interest.
Yunpeng Wang
I am a highly motivated synthetic biology researcher with keen interest in promoter engineering, pathway modification and compounds production using synthetic biology methods and protein expression and purification. As a researcher in molecular biology, metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology I have valuable experience in production of small molecules and natural products through introduction and engineering of pathways. I have experience in elevating production titres using pathway and promotor engineering. I also have skills in protein production and purification. I have expertise in both LC and LCMSMS analysis which I apply to both metabolomics and natural product identification.
Ying Zhang
I am a PhD student in Goss group and focusing on finding new Flavin Dependent Halogenases (FDHs). I have expertise in bioinformatics, heterologous expression and protein production
Through my MSc I have developed skills in microorganism cultivation including isolating and identifying poisonous microbes and general molecular biology techniques, cloning work (total RNA isolation-cDNA reverse transcription-DNA reproducing), Sugar content detection in fresh fruit using HPLC.
I am motivated, highly-efficient and have great communication skills, I am able to work under pressure independently and have team spirit.
David Alexander Burnett
I am a biochemist with research interests in the production and development of plant virus based nanotechnologies. As a PhD student at the University of St Andrews my project focuses on the development of enzyme coated nanoparticles derived from plant virus capsid proteins. I aim to develop a system capable of presenting enzymatic pathways on stable and re-usable particles with the hope of being able to produce these pathways on a particle on a large scale.
Samuel Molyneux
As a current PhD student in the Goss group, my interests lie in catalysis, both synthetic organic chemistry and enzymatic systems.My PhD research is focussed on developing aqueous cross coupling methodologies to be merged with biosnynthetic organohalide generated using novel halogenases enzymes- this means and skills lie in synthetic organic chemistry, utilising bioinformatical tools to search for novel proteins, and enzyme production, purification, and analysis.
Camiel Leake
I am a highly motivated final-year MChem Student at the university of St Andrews. I have recently joined the Goss group as part of my final year research project where I have been utilising a bioinformatics approach to discover new flavin dependent halogenases. Between 2019 and 2020 I completed a 12 month long industrial placement at Roche Basel where I worked on two different projects and gained invaluable synthetic skills as well as a deeper and broader understanding of organic synthesis. I am currently motivated and looking for PhD positions with an emphasis on organic synthesis with applications to medicinal chemistry and biology.
Scarlet Ferrinho
I am currently a PhD student at the University of St Andrews. My undergraduate degree in biomolecular science bridged the divide between chemistry and biology in a like manner to my PhD. Working with both category I and II microorganisms means I have excellent aseptic technique. Furthermore, I am competent in microbiology techniques in addition to synthetic and analytical chemistry. I am skilled in the identification, production, isolation and characterisation of natural products, as well as the production and purification of proteins.
Alan Obled
I am an organic chemist with research interests in the modification of natural products. Specifically, my research focuses on natural products with medicinal properties. As a CRITICAT CDT student, my projects involve conducting catalytic reactions, using homogenous catalysis and biocatalysis in order to obtain analogues of the target natural products, and then screening their bioactivities, particularly antibiotic properties against a variety of bacteria. My research endeavours on harnessing the power of Biosynthesis to produce complex and bio-active metabolites possessing orthogonal reactive handles that can then be diversified using the flexibility of Chemistry.
Gemma Fisher
I am a PhD Student jointly supervised by Dr Rafael da Silva and Professor Rebecca Goss. My PhD is part of the EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership and falls under the theme of industrial biotechnology and bioenergy. My research will elucidate the mechanism of Psychrobacter arcticus ATP phosphoribosyltransferase with the aim to generate opportunities for protein engineering. ATP phosphoribosyl transferase is the first enzyme of the histidine biosynthetic pathway. The goal of this project is development of ATP phosphoribosyltransferase suitable for industrial application.