Research

My main research interest is structure determination of natural products using 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectrometry. All organisms can be thought of as miniature chemical factories constantly producing a vast array of very diverse products.Most of these compounds function in the production of energy and in the growth and reproduction of the organism. Four major classes of compounds , carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids and nucleosides/ nucleotides are both made and utilised in these primary metabolic pathways that are common to most organisms. In addition to these pathways some plants, animals and microorganisms further process and modify these common compounds into a complex range of molecules which are not always necessary for the day-to-day needs of the organism. These are the secondary metabolites or natural products, and the amounts produced may be very small, seaonally dependant or only produced under conditions of stress.Historically, secondary metabolites from natural sources have found wide application in medicine with an estimated 60% of modern pharmaceuticals derived from these sources.

I am particularly interested in compounds from marine sources. Oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface and contain representatives of all known land and freshwater phyla and some that are unique to the marine environment. The huge diversity of species (estimated at 1.5-4.5 million), many of which have no terrestrial representatives, combined with advances in SCUBA and submersibles has led to a rapid expansion in the study of marine natural products. Many of the sessile organisms have evolved potent chemical defence systems utilising compounds with novel architecture. However much of this study has been of species in tropical waters with native species being largely ignored.Scotland is surrounded by sea and the extraction and study of compounds from local seaweeds is one of my research interests.

Teaching

I currently lecture on basic organic chemistry and analytical techniques in Molecular Science 1A and B. In years 2-4 of the Pharmaceutical Chemistry degree course I lecture on aromatic chemistry (y2), organic spectroscopy( IR, NMR and MS)(y2 and 3), analytical chemistry (y2 and 3)and natural products (y4). I am responsible for the design and implementation of computer aided assessment in the Molecular Science modules using Questionmark Perception through the Blackboard VLE. All assessment of these modules including tutorials, practicals and exams is now done using CAA. Currently I am also designing assessments for other modules and investigating integration of chemistry drawing and modelling programs into Questionmark to produce a richer learning experience for students.