Macclesfield, England, United Kingdom
Associate Principal Scientist "Digital Champion" in Pharmaceutical Sciences at AstraZeneca Macclesfield. Background in HTE and synthetic organic chemistry from pre-hit to process chemistry, and from experimental design and automated dosing through to full analysis and visualization for rational, mechanism-driven reaction optimization. Aim to inspire collaboration between diverse functional teams for mutual benefits and improved workflows. To this end, working regularly with other departments: particularly medicinal chemistry, IT, and manufacturing operations. Coding in Python and R and working with big data in Snowflake and OpenSearch for automation of the boring stuff to free up scientists' time. Creating bespoke, interactive data visualizations to effectively communicate dependent variable (multi)parameter relationships. Previously responsible for multiple CapEx projects and regular equipment management and maintenance. Worked in teams for several global projects, including in-house eLN, workflows for chemistry automation, and data architecture transformation. Familiar with Mettler Toledo/Axel Semrau Quantos series, Unchained Junior/Big Kahuna, Chemspeed systems, Formulatrix, Andrew Alliance, AmigoChem, and more. • Regular presenter of invited talks at conferences and universities in the UK and internationally, on chemistry data, high-throughput experimentation, and automation. • One of two chemists awarded the Salters' Centenary Award 2021, for the potential to make an outstanding long-term contribution to the chemical industries. • Managed day-to-day experimentation as sole user of an automation laboratory, running 2.00 bespoke and rationally-designed plates per day (when not ask-limited). • Self-taught Python from 2018 to automate data workflows and obviate inefficient steps. • Scientific Advisory Board member at ChemAI, and Content Advisory Board member at ACS Chemical & Engineering News. • Committee member at RSC CICAG. • Curate a number of web resources at https://supersciencegrl.co.uk, @ukchemjobs, and @ChemPostdocBot. • Former Team Leader and coach (while working in industry) of a committee of mostly students and postdocs at the historic Oxford University Scientific Society. • Until 2022, Scientific Editor at RSC Synthetic Reaction Updates, scouring the literature to curate novel or interesting organic transformations. • Freelance writer and editor, and regular columnist for Chemistry World. • Organizer of UK National Retrosynthesis Competition (2021–2024) and Automated Intelligent Chemistry conference (2020).
Responsible for digital transformation, chemical data curation, automation, and ML‑ready data across the Pharmaceutical Sciences department. Building collaborations between synthetic/analytical/automation chemists and computational chemists, data scientists, and software engineers to strengthen chemical representation for complex chemoinformatic cases (eg: metal catalysts, HTE), and leading agentic AI curation of chemistry data. Developed multiple detailed controlled vocabularies for chemistry information, and work on both strategic and technical angles for data extraction challenges, particularly from outsourcing and historical reports. Leadership and change management roles across major digital programmes including new ELN rollout, HTE substance data management, and big-data reaction database. Key role in shaping departmental data strategy. Currently on secondment in Predictive Science, Digital, and Automation to further knowledge exchange and contribute chemistry expertise.
Responsible for reaction optimization, data management, and workflow automation in a growing laboratory. Led cross-site UK-Switzerland automation data workflow management, and shaped global ML-ready data management strategy for interactions between lab equipment and data sources/repositories. Fully automated the HTE reaction optimization workflow using Python scripting, and developed an analytical data app used to solve data management problems across two departments. Active member and subproject leader of several global strategic teams, eg: global data management strategy, building an in-house ELN and LIMS system, implementation of analytical software across two sites, connecting automation equipment with web tools and workflows, external speaker committee. Responsible for multiple CapEx projects. Regularly liaised with other departments (eg: analytical, process studies, biosciences). Lead of the Syngenta global Catalysis Network.
(Additional contract while working at Pfizer and Syngenta.) SRU was a monthly set of new, updated, and useful tools to add to your synthetic chemistry repertoire. Scientific Editors selected the most useful synthetic organic transformations from across the month's literature & shared them via monthly alert and a searchable database. SRU stopped operating in Jan 2022.
Responsible for high-throughput experimentation: complete experimental design through to full analysis and data-led visualization reporting for process chemistry. Designed and executed bespoke, hypothesis-driven HTE for reaction optimization, solvent replacement, and data-driven process understanding. Self-taught Python to eliminate a significant workflow efficiency bottleneck and the need for excessive manual intervention, fully automating the HTE software workflow and introducing new visualization capabilities. Lead HTE chemist for an unusually-challenging and rapidly-accelerated Phase II trial.
In-house permanent employee of AMRI (now Curia) for Eli Lilly; sole UK chemist at Lilly performing high-throughput experimentation using laboratory robots and bespoke plate designs for reaction optimization. Average 2.00 plates per day (when not request-limited; usually 96 vials), from experimental design to full analysis and data-led visualization reporting. Actively collaborative on projects from pre-hit to process across three Eli Lilly R&D sites. Sole user and responsible for maintenance of the automation laboratory (5 robots, 2 PolyBLOCK plates, 2 LC-MS systems, and a 10-glove glovebox). Provided fast and robust route design and discovery target synthesis both in a traditional laboratory setting and with automation. Detailed experience gained in the area of homogeneous catalysis.