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About James

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James is originally from Barnstaple in North Devon, UK. He completed a Masters degree in Chemistry for Drug Discovery at the University of Bath in 2008, where he was awarded the Robert W. Bolland Memorial Prize for Most Outstanding Chemistry Graduate. James was the recipient of a University of Bath Ph.D. Scholarship and completed his thesis entitled “New Applications of Organocatalysis” in 2011 under the joint supervision of Dr Steven Bull and Prof. Jonathan Williams. In 2012 James spent time at the Université Paris-Sud XI on a COST short-term scientific mission fellowship in the laboratory of Prof. David Aitken.

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James subsequently moved to the University of St Andrews as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the group of Prof. Andrew Smith where his research focused on the development and understanding of new Lewis base-catalysed processes.

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In 2015 James began his independent research career at the University of St Andrews as a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Research Fellow, focusing on the development of new catalytic processes for the activation of readily-available functional groups.

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In 2018, James returned to the University of Bath as a Lecturer in Drug Discovery and in 2023 he was promoted to Senior Lecturer. James is also the Chair of the Society of Chemical Industry's Young Chemists Panel. 

Teaching

CH12003

Year 1 Laboratory

CH20160

Major Therapeutic Areas

CH3/40037

Synthesis of Medicinal Compounds

CH3/40068

Modern Physical Organic Chemistry

XX50228

Organic, Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry

XX50229

Synthesis of Medicinal Compounds

Roles and Responsibilities 

Years 3,4,5 Director of Studies, Chemistry

Deputy Director of Studies, MSc in Drug Discovery

Presentations and Conferences

2021

Emerging Academics Symposium, GSK

Catalytic Dehydrative Substitution of Alcohols

2019

Young Chemists 2019, Imperial College London

Catalytic Activation of Alcohols

2019

Advances in Organocatalysis, Society of Chemical Industry

Organocatalytic Activation of Alcohols

2019

RSC South West Organic Division Regional Meeting, University of Cardiff 

Catalytic Dehydrative Substitution of Alcohols

2018

Modern Developments in Organic Synthesis, Society of Chemical Industry 

N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalysis

2018

Bolland Symposium, University of Bath 

Catalytic Activation of Alcohols

2018

46th Regional Meeting of the RSC Organic Division, University of Edinburgh 

Catalytic Activation of Alcohols

2017

Organic Symposium, University of Birmingham 

Catalytic Functionalisation of Alcohols

2016

Organic Symposium, University of St Andrews

Catalytic Functionalisation of Alcohols

2016

MSMLG, University of Bath

Acylative Kinetic Resolution of Alcohols

2015

CASE 2015, Trinity College Dublin 

Lewis Base Organocatalysis: Applications in the Synthesis and Functionalisation of Heterocycles

2013

Organic Symposium, University of St Andrews

Asymmetric Synthesis of Highly Substituted Lactones

2013

42nd Regional Meeting of the RSC Organic Division, Heriot-Watt University 

NHCs in Organocatalysis: Stereospecificity and Mechanistic Insights

2012

Organic Symposium, Universite Paris-Sud XI

Asymmetric Synthesis of Highly Substituted Lactones

2011

CASE 2011, University of Birmingham

DBN as an Efficient Acyl Transfer Agent

2011

ACS Pacifichem 2010, Hawaii, U.S.

Organocatalytic C-Acylation of N-Alkyl Pyrroles and Indoles

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