The Group - 2023/2024
Current Group Members
Postdoctoral Fellows and Senior Technical Specialists
Dr Michal Dutkiewicz
Michal completed his PhD in 2016 at the European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC) for Nuclear Safety and Security, Advanced Nuclear Knowledge in Karlsruhe, Germany, under the joint supervision of Prof. Roberto Caciuffo (Actinide Research, ITU) and Prof. Polly L. Arnold (University of Edinburgh). He joined the group in 2017 as a postdoctoral fellow and in 2018 became a Senior Experimental Officer (now a STS) in the Centre for Radiochemistry work where he supports the research of the Liddle Group. His current research interests lie in the explorative chemistry of transuranic elements.
Dr Harry Futcher
Harry joined the Liddle group in 2019 as an MChem student working on actinide carbene chemistry, an area of chemistry he continued to research after starting as PhD student in 2020. Recently, Harry has started as a PDRA to extend his love of uranium.
Dr Karlotta van Rees
Lotte was awarded her MSc in 2016 from the University of Amsterdam, after completing a year of research at the University of Edinburgh working on perrhenate catalysis and N-heterocyclic carbene complexes with Professor Jason B. Love and Professor Polly L. Arnold, respectively. In 2017, she was awarded funding by the Critical Resource Catalysis (CRITICAT) CDT and rejoined the Love group as a PhD student working on the coordination chemistry of novel polypyrrolic ligands and the reduction of uranyl complexes. In 2023, she joined the Liddle group as a PDRA investigating actinide-actinide bonding.
Dr John Seed
John was awarded his MChem (Hons) in 2014 from the University of Sheffield. His final year project was working on high energy density materials under the supervision of Dr Peter Portius. In 2015, he joined the Liddle group as a PhD student working on f-block and rare-earth mesoionic carbene chemistry, before transitioning to a PDRA role in 2018. In the summer of 2023, John was promoted to the position of Research Fellow. His main interests lie in actinide-actinide metal-metal bonding as well as investigations into actinide-pnictogen chemistry. John is responsible for the collection and interpretation of SQUID magnetometry and EPR spectroscopy measurements for the group.
Dr Ashley Wooles
Ash was awarded his MChem (Hons) in 2008 from Bath University. His final year project was in the group of Dr Matthew Jones on heterogeneous catalysts for the ring opening polymerisation of lactide. He joined the group in 2008 as a PhD student investigating lanthanide-carbene chemistry. After graduating with a PhD in 2012 he has continued as a PDRA in the group investigating uranium-ligand multiple bonds. In 2018 he became a role as Senior Experimental Officer (now a STS) in the Centre for Radiochemistry Research where he supports the research of the Liddle Group.
PhD Students
Cameron Baker
Cameron was awarded his his MChem (Hons) in 2022 from Newcastle University. His final year project was with Dr Lee Higham on the synthesis of fluorescent phosphonium salts for medical imaging. He joined the group in 2022 to investigate actinide-ligand bond covalency.
Xuhang Dan
Xuhang was awarded his MSc in Chemistry in 2022 from University of Sheffield. His research project was heterometallic macrocycles based on ruthenium-multipyridine fragment for PDT and potential biomolecular recognition, which was supervised by Prof. Jim A. Thomas. He joined the Liddle group in 2022 as a PhD student working on uranium complexes with boryloxide ligands.
Xinglan Deng
Xinglan received her MSc in 2019 from Central South University, China, working with Prof. Xiaobo Ji on energy storage materials and device design. In 2022, she joined the Liddle group as a PhD student working on metal-metal bonding in molecular actinide compounds.
Yan Gao
Yan Gao was awarded her MSc from Soochow University in 2021. After that she joined Huang’s group at Peking University as a research assistant in 2022, where she focused on the novel d-f transition rare earth luminescent materials. She joined the Liddle group as a PhD student in 2023 working on uranium-carbon multiple bonds. She is now investigating uranium carbene chemistry.
Heather Partlow
Heather was awarded her MSci (Hons) in 2022 from the University of Nottingham. Her final year project was under the supervision of Prof. Peter Licence, investigating the thermal properties and decomposition pathways of chloroindate ionic liquids. Following this, she started at the University of Manchester through the CDT in Integrated Catalysis (iCAT) programme. Heather joined the Liddle group in 2023 and is currently working on N2 activation using early transition metals.
Rebecca Sheppard
Becky was awarded her MChem (Hons) degree in 2023 from the University of Leicester. Her final year project was working towards the synthesis of low-valent group 2 complexes under the supervision of a group alumni, Dr Fabrizio Ortu. Becky joined the Liddle group in 2023 as a PhD student, working on actinide- heavy pnictogen multiple bonding.
Yuliya Yudina
Yuliya joined the group after completing her undergraduate studies in Inorganic Chemistry working on MOFs with thiophene-based ligands at Novosibirsk State University, Russia. Yuliya's research interests include f-element chemistry with a focus on molecular actinide chemistry. She is excited to contribute to the group's efforts in advancing knowledge in metal-metal bonding in actinide chemistry.
Shuhan Zhang
Shuhan completed her BSc at Shanghai Institute of Technology in 2021. Her final year project was on phosphorus oxide quantum dots under the supervision of Dr Hu Xu. She then moved to Manchester and joined the group in the same year for her PGT project on uranium carbene chemistry. After she was awarded her MSc, she returned as a PhD student and continued her research on uranium carbon/nitrogen multiple bonds.
MChem Project Students
Modinat Tijani
Modinat is completing her integrated MChem (Hons) degree at The University of Manchester, with a year of international study at Queen’s University, Ontario. She joined the Liddle group in 2023, where her final year Master’s project worked on the reactivity of low valent uranium. After graduating in 2024, she will continue research in the Liddle group as a PhD student.
Group Alumni
Asma Al-Yafei - PGT student.
Alexander Ayres - PhD, now at Imaging Equipment Ltd.
Robert Bannister - MSci, PhD at the University of Southampton.
Francesca Barton - MChem, then a PhD in Earth Sciences at the University of Manchester.
Josef Boronski - PhD, now JRF at St John's College University of Oxford.
Kerry Burnett - MSci, now at Innospec Inc.
Filipa Carvalho - MSci, now in hospitality industry, London.
Joseph Caudwell - MChem.
Lucile Chatelain - PDRA, now a Maître de conférences at the University of Bretagne Occidentale (CNRS Lectureship).
Peter Cleaves - PhD, now at Mars.
Philip Cobb - PhD, now in the nuclear sector.
Oliver Cooper - PhD, now at Johnson Matthey.
Andrew Cornish - PhD, now at Johnson Matthey.
Jonathan Cryer - PhD, now at Quotient Sciences.
Sophie Dewick - MChem, now in industry.
Laurence Doyle - PDRA, now civil service.
Jingzhen Du - PhD, PDRA, now an academic at Zhengzhou University.
Adam Eason - summer student.
Shannon Farley - MChem, now PhD at Imperial College London.
Aimee Garces - summer student.
Benedict Gardner - PhD, PDRA, now at Cambridge Display Technology Ltd.
William Golding - summer student.
James Grayson - summer student.
Matthew Gregson - PhD, PDRA, now at Wood PLC.
Aimee Haggarty - MChem, now PhD at The University of Manchester.
Georgina Hatton - PhD, now at Mars.
Peter Haldane-Robbs - MSci, then a PhD at University of Bristol.
James Hickson - MSci, PhD at University of Glasgow.
Shu-Xian Hu - visiting researcher, now academic at UST Beijing.
Mark Jackson - PhD, now at Infineum.
Lucy Jenkins - MSci, now Chavereys Accounting Trainee.
Robert Jones - MChem, then PhD at Huddersfield University.
Jacob Kenyon - MChem, now PhD at The University of Manchester.
Adam Kewley - summer student, then PhD at University of Liverpool.
Saif Khan-Madni - MChem, now medicine degree.
David King - PhD then PDRA, now at Rolls Royce.
Erli Lu - Marie Curie PDRA, now an academic at Birmingham.
Pamela MacDuff - MSci, then PhD at University of Cambridge.
Rose Magnall - PhD, now in industry.
George Marshall - MSci, now a Business Science fellow at University of Nottingham.
Ana Maria Rubio Gaspar - Erasmus student.
Amy Middleton-Gear - MSci, now in RSC publishing.
David Mills - PDRA, now an academic at The University of Manchester.
Charlie Moir - summer student, now doing a PhD at The University of Manchester.
Adi Nako - PDRA, now a teacher.
Felix O'Donnell - MChem, then PhD at UBC.
Fabrizio Ortu - PDRA, now an academic at the University of Leicester.
Joseph Ostrowski - PhD, now in publishing.
Leon Paschai-Darian - visiting MSc student, now PhD at Heidelberg.
Dipti Patel - PDRA, now a School Administrator in Nottingham.
Thomas Pell - summer student, Teacher in Greater Manchester area.
Laura Pitchford - summer student, PhD at the University of Nottingham.
Kamila Polujanska - summer student.
Ben Reant - PhD, now PDRA at The University of Manchester.
Ana Maria Rubio Gaspar - Erasmus student.
Thomas Rookes - PhD, academic at NTU then Nuclear Directorate.
Daniel Russell - MSci, now in the drinks industry.
Sarah Robinson - PhD, now at Astra Zeneca.
Helen Sharp - PDRA, now an accountant.
Lyndsay Soutar - PhD, now at Mars.
Hanna Stafford - MChem.
Lindsay Steven - MSci, now Audit Assistant Manager at RSM Australia.
John Stewart - PDRA, now in Chemical Regulatory Office.
Craig Stoppiello - MSci, PhD at the University of Nottingham.
Lewis Thomas-Hargreaves - PhD, now Junior Group Leader Martin Luther Halle-Wittenberg.
Tom Timmis - MChem.
Richard Turnbull - PhD, now PDRA at Glasgow.
Lisa Vondung - Leopoldina Fellow, now an academic at University of Hamburg.
Bridget Wallace - MSci, now in logistics sector.
Henry Walsgrove - summer student, PhD University of British Columbia.
Leah Webster - MChem, then PhD at Imperial College London.
Karsten Wenzel - MSci.
Niclas Werthmann - visiting MSc, then PhD at Göttingen University.
Elizabeth Wildman - PhD, PDRA, now at Mars.
Benedict Wilkinson - MChem project student, MSc in chemical engineering, University of Leeds.
Emanuele Zanda - Erasmus student.
Markus Zegke - PDRA, now PDRA at University of Cologne.
Yujie Zhao - PGT.
Linghui Zhu - MChem, now PhD at Peking.
Xinyi Zou - PGT.