Research Areas
As befits a subject with its origins in the chemistry of life, there are strong interests in the biosynthesis, synthesis and metabolism of biologically important compounds from a wide range of natural sources. Priority research areas include:.
- Bio-organic chemistry with emphasis on interdisciplinary work on the biosynthesis of polyketide antibiotics, plant hormones and applications of enzymes to synthesis of homochiral molecules.
- Development of synthetic methodology and its application to a wide range of compounds of biological importance, e.g. pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and toxins. Our wide experience in the preparation of isotopically-labelled compounds for biosynthetic, metabolic and protein structural studies is being extended via several academic and industrial collaborations.
- Physical Organic Chemistry, including synthesis of novel compounds to study unusual bonding systems, structure/reactivity correlations and the development of new materials and polymers.
- Environmental and Analytical Chemistry in order to understand a variety of aspects of natural and polluted present-day environments and ancient environments.