GROUP MEMBERS
Group in November 2023. Left to right: Soumalya, Connor, Ed, Martin, Dan, Becky, Ben,
Justin, Mark, Sam, Amy, Sam, Adam. Absent Xiaoxuan
Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr Soumalya Bhattacharyya
Soumalya comes from West Bengal, India. He did his bachelor's degree at the University of Calcutta followed by an M.Sc. in Chemistry from IIT Madras. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore under Prof. Partha S Mukherjee on 'Photoresponsive supramolecular architectures and their applications.' He loves watching cricket and the Premier League. He also likes to play cricket.
PhD Students
Sam Wharvell - Finishing Up​
Sam completed both his BSc and MSc and the University of Leicester in Chemistry and Biological Chemistry respectively. In his spare time he plays dodgeball, water polo and enjoys attending and being a part of theatre productions.
Amy Naylor Randles - Finishing Up​
Amy completed her MChem at the University of Liverpool in 2021. During this time she spent a year in industry at Unilever Port Sunlight in the advanced materials and surface science group designing novel sustainable surfactants. In her final year Amy joined the Claridge group working on Quasicrystal growth and XRD. In 2021 Amy joined the CDT in Sustainable Chemistry at UoN and is now working on a collaborative project between the Irvine, Pilgrim and Stockman groups (Faculty of Enginnering & School of Chemistry). In her spare time Amy enjoys gymnastics, reading and travelling to sunny countries.
Adam Holt - Fourth Year
After graduating with 1st Class Honours (Chemistry) from Bangor University in 2018 Adam spent several years exploring possible careers including teaching and The Royal Navy. Returning to academia in the October of 2021 he completed a Masters by Research (Chemistry) degree at the University of Lincoln under the tutorage of Dr Guzmán Gil-Ramírez. This course included a two week internship at the University of Granada under Drs Victor B. Suárez and Aeaceli G. Camaña From here Adam was accepted onto a funded PhD program (Chemistry) at the University of Nottingham which he commenced in the October of 2022. Adam's project is funded by the EPSRC and is a collaborative project between the Pilgrim group and Prof. Mike George's group (School of Chemistry) and Dr Lyudmila Turyanska's group (School of Engineering). In his free time Adam enjoys outdoor pursuits and has led multi day hiking expeditions across the Isle of Skye and Snowdonia National Park.
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Ed Smale - Fourth Year
Ed is starting the first year of his PhD in the Pilgrim group after completing his Masters at the University of Loughborough. His research project in Loughborough was based around the synthesis of sulfimide derivatives and their properties. He loves wildlife and has claimed his girlfriend's German Shepherd as his own. In his spare time he weightlifts most days as well as liking paddle boarding and generally being in the sea whenever he can be, and if not he’ll probably be found drinking coffee somewhere.
Connor Bergin - Third Year
Connor joined the Pilgrim group after completing his MChem at Sheffield Hallam University in 2023. His research project for his masters was the synthesis of a potential inhibitor for the PTP1B enzyme to tackle the rising issue of obesity and its related comorbidities. In his spare time, Connor enjoys playing cricket and golf as well as attending football matches.
Xiaoxuan Su - Third Year
Xiaoxuan earned his Master's degree in Chemistry from the University of Sheffield in 2021. He then returned to China and worked as a research assistant for two years before deciding to pursue his PhD on a joint project between the Pilgrim group and Dr Matt Cliffe's group. During his spare time, he enjoys reading and playing board games.
Bohan Si - Second Year
Bohan completed his MSc in material science at the University College London in 2023. One year later, he joined the Pilgrim group to pursue a doctoral degree. During his spare time, he enjoys reading and outdoor strolls.
MRes Students
Justin Joseph - Finishing Up
Justin was born in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and moved to Leeds at the age of 13. He completed his BSc in Chemistry at the University of Bradford, with his dissertation entitled 'The supramolecular self-assembly of lysozyme to form 3D scaffolds'. He enjoys all types of games, and spends most of his time studying and creating strategies to beat whatever game or sport that manages to keep hold of his attention.
Ben Simpson-Hallas
Ben grew up in Nottingham and completed his Bsc at Nottingham Trent University and his project was on the synthesis of spirobrate anions for the use in low temperature superconductors. After completing his Masters, he wants to go on to complete a PhD. Outside of his studies he enjoys watching Nottingham Forest play football and playing games. He also likes learning about space and history.
Mason Ormsby
Mason completed his undergraduate studies with First Class Honours in Chemistry from Nottingham Trent University in 2024. Taking a year out to work as an account executive, he decided to pursue a masters, working within the Pilgrim group and Cliffe group. In his spare time, he enjoys playing games and going to the gym.
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MSci Students
James Miles
James is completing his final year MSci project in the Pilgrim Group after having previously undertaken a RSC-funded summer placement in the group. After graduation, he is hoping to pursue a PhD in Chemistry and then a career in industry or academia. Aside from chemistry, James is a keen runner and enjoys spending time outdoors. He also enjoys travelling and exploring new places around the world.
Henry Burgess
Henry is working towards his integrated MSci in Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, hoping to graduate in the summer of 2026. His plans are then to pursue a career in chemical industry. He enjoys the field of coordination chemistry and anything that relates to it. Aside from chemistry, Henry enjoys gaming and bears an interest in history and palaeontology.
Summer Students
There are not currently any summer students.
Honorary Group Member
Alfie
Honorary group member Alfie arrived in December 2023. He is known for being incredibly friendly, wanting lots of fusses, rolling in fox poo, and wanting to eat everything.