There are always many things that are underway. Multi-disciplinary research environments always gives me a great opportunity to work on many things at once.

Because I like playing with big toys and enjoy maths, my research interests are are grouped around nanoscale processes with an emphasis on mathematical descriptions of these systems.

The motivations for doing research, however, are much more than just playing with expensive toys or solving differential equations. I, along with many other chemists today, am working to improve the sustainability of modern chemistry and the broader chemical and manufacturing industries. In particular, given the increasing scarcity of fossil fuels for use as petrochemical feedstocks and the social and environmental problems associated with landfill disposal of waste, I am interested in substitutes for the raw materials that are used for current chemistry and the utilisation of both industrial and post-consumer "waste" streams.

Based on my research experience, I am being drawn to the study of polymers made from renewable materials (e.g., biopolymers) which may be substituted for current petrochemical polymers in both high-value-added and commodity applications.

At present, I'm only working slowly towards these goals, but in the future, my research interests will focus on:

• improving the use and reuse of renewable raw materials in polymeric systems (synthesis and characterisation of novel polymer architectures)
• understanding better the interactions and behaviour of biopolymers at surfaces to use as substitutes for petrochemical polymers in industrial and pharmaceutical colloidal systems
• undertaking the rational design of functional materials using biopolymers and nanoparticles with a particular focus on optical materials for sensing and photonic applications
• developing novel instrumental tools for understanding surface chemistry

My current research projects (below) and previous projects probably gives a better picture of what that means in reality.

Some of the things that I am currently working on are:

Surface structures of polymer solutions in confined geometries Measurements of the inter-surface and near surface structures of polymer gels under compressive forces have been made using a new neutron compression cell. more »

Light scattering of non-spherical particles Light scattering cross-sections are calculated numerically for a variety of nanoparticles using the Discrete Dipole Approximation. more »

Ultrasonic initiation of polymerisation reactions Various polymers are synthesised in dispersed-phase polymerisations where the reaction is initiated with ultrasound. more »

Bumblebee instrument management system Instruments and equipment are booked and shared between users through a free, web-based management system. more »