We invite applications PhD position in organic synthesis and supramolecular chemistry. This PhD project focuses on design and synthesis of luminescent molecular probes to detect short-lived reactive species across biological, environmental, and security settings. The student will receive training in organic synthesis, host-guest interactions, and photophysical analysis of lanthanide complexes, alongside expertise in assay development for real-world applications. Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Dr Stephen Butler by email at s.j.butler@lboro.ac.uk. Closing date for applications is 19th February 2025, to apply please follow this link.

We are delighted to congratulate Hannah for passing her PhD viva with very minor corrections. Thanks to Dr Rama Suntharalingam and Dr George Weaver for examining Hannah’s PhD thesis. Hannah’s first paper, published in Inorganic Chemistry, combines EPR with EXAFS spectroscopy to elucidate anion binding geometries at lanthanide centres in water. Read about it here.

A collaborative paper led by Prof. Phil Gale’s team is published in Chem, presenting the most active synthetic transporter for chloride reported to date. This collaboration resulted from Steve’s sabbatical in Sydney in early 2023, where he worked with lead author Alex to monitor fluoride/chloride transport across lipid vesicles using emissive lanthanide probes.

We welcome Erin and Maryam to the group. Erin will be developing the new lanthanide tags for protein labelling, in collaboration with ARC CIPPS partners Prof. Otting and Prof. Jolliffe. Maryam will be developing lanthanide-based anion receptors with strong binding preferences.