Biography
I graduated in Chemistry from the University of Liverpool and then went on to study for a PhD with Professor Ian Fleming FRS at the University of Cambridge. I spent two and a half years as a Western European Fellow of the Royal Society at the University of Lausanne working with Professor Pierre Vogel on stereoelectronic effects and eating lots of cheese and chocolate. I arrived at Keele in 1994 and together with Prof. David Morgan I managed the Chemical Ecology Research Group and had an international reputation for science communication travelling the world making models of DNA and presenting makeitmolecular and popular science shows (try Youtube). Over the years I managed to pick up a few awards for my public science work see below.
In 2006 children arrived and I reduced my hours to 20% to allow my wife to continue to pursue her career and passed the research group onto the capable hands of Falko Drijfhout. Since then I have slowly built up my hours to a 70% contract which is now teaching focused. In 2014 I was luckily enough to attend a workshop on Team-Based Learning and since then I have been active on the TBL scene putting it into practice in my own teaching and promoting TBL within the UK and Europe. I am the Treasurer of the ETBLC and sit on the international TBLC Finance Board.
Awards
- 2009 Carbon Rapture, Summer Exhibition, Burlington House, London
- 2005 NESTA Dreamtime Award Fellow
- 2005 Royal Society Summer Exhibition Soiree Lecturer
- 2004 Finalist EU Descartes Prize for Science Communication
- 2004 The BA Lord Kelvin Award Lecturer
- 2004 Royal Society Summer Exhibition Lecturer
- 2003 Keele University Individual Award for Learning and Teaching Excellence
- 2002 Guinness World Record Holder for the largest model of DNA in the world
- 2001 Royal Society of Chemistry Higher Education Teaching Award
Research and scholarship
Educational Research
- Team-Based Learning with a particular focus on using TBL for the teaching of the physical sciences
- Safety in undergraduate chemistry teaching laboratories
- Development of new and improved undergraduate chemistry experiments
Chemical Research
- The synthesis and characterisation of unsaturated and methyl branched hydrocarbons commonly found on insect cuticles
- The use of microwaves to promote chemical reactions in particular intramolecular cyclisations.
Teaching
- CHE-00027: General and Organic Chemistry
- CHE-10061: Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills
- CHE-10063: Chemical Structure and Reactivity
- CHE-20027: Medicinal and Biological Chemistry 1
- CHE-20055: Molecular Chemistry and Reactions
- CHE-20057/61: Spectroscopy and Analysis
- CHE-30037/34: Topics in Chemistry/Medicinal Chemistry
- CHE-30050: Chemistry/Medicinal Chemistry Research Project
- CHE-30051: Chemistry/Medicinal Chemistry Dissertation
- CHE-40021: MChem Research Project
- CHE-40022: MChem Research Training
- CHE-40024: Advanced Research Topics
I also give staff development sessions on Team-Based Learning.
Selected Publications
- 2021.
- 2020.
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Lecture Highlights: Repurposing Lecture Capture to Provide Learning Resources for Level 6 Chemistry Students. The Journal of Academic Development and Education. doi> full text>2018.
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Active Learning Techniques to Build Problem Solving Skills in Chemistry Students. Journal of Academic Development and Education. full text>2018.
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Cram's Rule: Diastereoselective Grignard addition to 2-phenylpropanal. In Comprehensive Organic Chemistry Experiments for the Laboratory Classroom. Alfonso CAM, Candeias NR, Simao DP, Trindade AF, Coelho JAS, Tan B, Franzen R (Eds.). Royal Society of Chemistry.2017.
Full Publications Listshow
Journal Articles
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Lecture Highlights: Repurposing Lecture Capture to Provide Learning Resources for Level 6 Chemistry Students. The Journal of Academic Development and Education. doi> full text>2018.
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Active Learning Techniques to Build Problem Solving Skills in Chemistry Students. Journal of Academic Development and Education. full text>2018.
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Team Based Learning: A Scratch Approach to Large Group Problem Classes. Journal of Academic Development in Higher Education, 98-103.2015.
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Cuticular Hydrocarbon Pheromones for Social Behavior and Their Coding in the Ant Antenna. Cell Rep, 1261-1271, vol. 12(8). link> doi> full text>2015.
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Crystal structures of eight mono-methyl alkanes (C26-C32) via single-crystal and powder diffraction and DFT-D optimization. IUCrJ, 490-497, vol. 2(Pt 5). link> doi> full text>2015.
- 2004.
- 2008.
- 2008.
- 2007.
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Role of esters in egg removal behaviour in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 24-29, vol. 59(1). doi>2005.
- 2005.
- 2005.
- 2005.
- 2004.
- 2004.
- 2004.
- 2004.
- 2004.
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Comparison of anti-feedant and insecticidal activity of nimbin and salannin photo-oxidation with neem (\fIAzadirachta indica\fP) limonoids. Pest Management Science. doi>2004.
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Radical Funding. Chemistry World, 22, vol. 1(4).2004.
- 2004.
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Building the largest model of DNA in the World. School Science Review.2004.
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Chemical composition of the Dufour gland secretion of queens of Melipona bicolor (Hymenoptera: Meliponini). Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, 621-625, vol. 15(5). doi>2004.
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Public Science: The Real Thing. Education in Chemistry, vol. 41(5).2004.
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Re-evaluation of the chemical secretion of the sternal glands of Polistes social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Ethology, Ecology and Evolution, 73-82, vol. 15(1). doi>2003.
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Comparison of normal and reversed-phase solid phase extraction methods for extraction of beta-blockers from plasma using molecularly imprinted polymers. Analyst, 345-350, vol. 128(4). doi>2003.
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Reassessing the role of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) Dufour's gland in egg marking. Naturwissenschaften, 528-532, vol. 89(11). doi>2002.
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Toilet Talk. Chemistry in Britain, 18, vol. 38(11).2002.
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The world's first "pastarimeter": an analogous demonstration of polarimetry using pasta fusilli. Journal of Chemical Education. doi>2002.
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Pretender punishment induced by chemical signalling in a queenless ant. Nature, 61-65, vol. 419(6902). doi>2002.
- 2002.
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The propolis of stingless bees: terpenes from the tibia of three \fIFrieseomelitta\fP species. Journal of Insect Physiology, 249-254, vol. 48(1). doi>2002.
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Production of wax by virgin queens of the stingless bee Melipona bicolor. Insectes sociaux, 229-233, vol. 49(3).2002.
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The world's first "pastarimeter": an analogous demonstration of polarimetry using pasta fusilli. Journal of Chemical Education.2002.
- 2001.
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Deciphering the recognition signature within the cuticular chemical profile of paper wasps. Animal Behaviour. doi>2001.
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An unexpected selectivity of a propranolol-derived molecular imprint for tamoxifen. The Analyst. doi>2001.
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Defensive role of secretion and ectal mandibular glands of the wasp \fIPolister dominulus\fP. Journal of Chemical Ecology. doi>2001.
- 2000.
- 2000.
- 2000.
- 2000.
- 2000.
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Take me to your leader. CHEMISTRY IN BRITAIN, 22, vol. 36(5). link>2000.
- 2000.
- 2000.
- 2000.
- 2000.
- 1999.
- 1999.
- 1999.
- 1999.
- 1998.
- 1998.
- 1997.
- 1997.
- 1997.
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Diastereoselectivity in the S(E)2” reaction of chiral pentadienylsilanes: A test for the relative importance of steric and electronic effects. JOURNAL OF THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY-PERKIN TRANSACTIONS 1, 1171-1196. doi>1996.
- 1996.
- 1993.
Chapters
- 2021.
- 2020.
-
Cram's Rule: Diastereoselective Grignard addition to 2-phenylpropanal. In Comprehensive Organic Chemistry Experiments for the Laboratory Classroom. Alfonso CAM, Candeias NR, Simao DP, Trindade AF, Coelho JAS, Tan B, Franzen R (Eds.). Royal Society of Chemistry.2017.
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Pheromone Chromatography. In Encyclopedia of analytical science. Worsfold P, Townshend A, Poole CF (Eds.). (2nd ed. ed.). Amsterdam: Amsterdam.2005.
- 2003.
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Selective SPE's using Molecular Imprinted Polymers. In Drug Development Assay Approaches, Including Molecular Imprinting and Biomarkers. Royal Society of Chemistry.1998.
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The Stereochemistry of the Se2" Reaction of Dienylmethylsilanes. In Progress in Organosilicon Chemistry. Marciniec B and Chojnowski J (Eds.). Gordon and Breach.1995.
Other
- 2009.
- 2008.
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Sex, Pasta and Molecules. In T. Overton (Ed.). Royal Society of Chemistry.2003.
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Sex, Pasta and Molecules (Plenary Lecture). Variety in Chemistry Education 2003 Proceedings.2003.
School address
Lennard-Jones School of Chemical and Physical Sciences
Lennard-Jones Building
Keele University
Staffordshire
ST5 5BG, UK
Phone (School Office): +44 (0)1782 733033, +44 (0)1782 733313
Email: chemistry@keele.ac.uk, forensics@keele.ac.uk, physics@keele.ac.uk
Programme directors
Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry
Dr Matthew O'Brien
Tel : +44 (0)1782 734371
Email : m.obrien@keele.ac.uk
Forensic Science
Dr Jamie K. Pringle
Tel : +44 (0)1782 733163
Email : j.k.pringle@keele.ac.uk
Physics and Astrophysics
Dr Arumugam Mahendrasingam
Tel : +44 (0)1782 733312
Email : a.mahendrasingam@keele.ac.uk
Admission tutors
Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry
Dr Natalie Capel
Tel : +44 (0)1782 733584
Email : n.j.capel@keele.ac.uk
Forensic Science
Victoria Cartwright
Tel : +44 (0)1782 733584
Email : v.cartwright@keele.ac.uk
Physics and Astrophysics
Dr Patrick Connell
Tel : +44 (0)1782 733892
Email : physics@keele.ac.uk or p.j.connell@keele.ac.uk