PhD Students:
Dr Jack Lowe (PhD 2019-2023; Departmental Studentship)
Jack joined the Coote group at Lancaster University in October 2019, with interests in synthetic photochemistry as a means of creating highly functionalizable four-membered rings for use in drug discovery. He graduated with a first class MChem degree from the University of East Anglia in 2019, undertaking his 4th year project under the supervision of Dr Chris Richards, exploring the use of chiral palladium catalysts in asymmetric synthesis. Aside from chemistry, he enjoys playing the piano. After leaving the group in 2023, Jack took up a role as a chemist at Concept Life Sciences in Sandwich.
Dr Weronika Michalska (PhD 2019-2023; CASE Award with Lilly/Lancaster University).
Weronika started her PhD in the Coote group in October 2019, working on the synthesis of oxetanes via Paternò-Büchi reaction. Before starting her PhD she did a series of different organic projects: investigating boron radical reactions (Bern University, Prof. Philippe Renaud, Erasmus project); selective oxidation of sulfides in flow chemistry (Cardiff University, Prof. Thomas Wirth, summer internship), synthesis of hypervalent iodine reagents (Cardiff University, Prof. Thomas Wirth, MChem project) and iron-catalysed heterocyclisation (Lancaster University, Prof. Joe Sweeney, MRes project). When not in the lab, Weronika enjoys gardening and Lego. Upon leaving the group in 2023, Weronika took up a position as a chemist with Pharmaron in Cardiff.
Dr Marine Aublette (PhD 2018-2022; North West Cancer Research funding)
Marine started her PhD in 2018 in the Gadd group to work on the design and synthesis of PROTAC molecules to improve the selectivity of a kinase inhibitor, and then joined the Coote group to work on the synthesis and functionalisation of cubanes. She graduated in 2018 from CPE Lyon and University Lyon I after completing two research assistant placements on early drug discovery projects (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, with Dr Cristian Draghici and Dr Steven Ferrara). When not busy in the lab, Marine enjoys running. After leaving the group in 2022, Marine took up a a position as chemistry project manager at NovAliX in Belgium.
Dr Thomas Britten (PhD 2015-2019; CASE Award with AstraZeneca)
Originally from Bournemouth, Tom graduated from Bangor University in 2015 with a first class honours MChem degree. Throughout his undergraduate studies, he gained experience in a range of synthetic research groups: medicinal chemistry (Prof. J. L. Reymond, Universität Bern, Erasmus internship), organic electronics (Prof. I. Perepichka, Bangor University, 3rd year project) and carbohydrate chemistry (Dr M. Lahmann, Bangor University, 4th year project and summer internship). Outside of chemistry, Tom enjoys music and football, and when the weather is good, walking in the hills/mountains. Upon leaving the group in 2019, he took up a postdoctoral research associate position in the McLaughlin Group at MMU, then in 2021 he joined Concept Life Sciences. In 2022, he started his independent research career at Manchester Metropolitan University: https://www.mmu.ac.uk/staff/profile/dr-thomas-britten.
MRes Students:
Edward Rodrigues (MRes 2022; Centre for Global Eco-Innovation Studentship)
I completed my chemistry degree at Queen Mary, including an undergraduate project in the spectroscopic analysis of solvent annealed organic semiconductors. I am looking forward to deepening my knowledge in organic semiconductor synthesis and applications with my MRes project, which is in collaboration with Drs Rachel Platel and Verena Gortz (both Lancaster University) and Chromition. In my spare time, I enjoy playing football and everything video gaming.
Summer/Visiting Students:
2023
Fiona Green (University of Bath; NSF REU programme)
2022
Jamie Rourke (Lancaster University; LU Widening Participation Internship)
2021
Stefan Chakarov (Lancaster University; EPSRC DTP funding) – now PhD student at UCL
Myles Osborn (Lancaster University; North West Cancer Research funding; co-supervised by Dr Sarah Allinson) – now medicinal chemist at Artelo Biosciences
2020
Edmée Aoustin (IUT Rouen)
Asma Chouria (IUT Rouen)
2019
Megan Pritchard (Lancaster University; RSC Undergraduate Research Bursary) – now PhD student in the Nuclear Fuel Centre of Excellence at the University of Manchester
Alexandre Touron (IUT Rouen)
Etienne Ayinda-Ayi (IUT Rouen) – now PhD student at the University of Rouen
2018
Lucile Fradin (Université Clermont Auvergne; Erasmus+)
2017
Eleanor Bowen (Lancaster University; Departmental Summer Bursary)
Heidi Jones (Lancaster University; Departmental Summer Bursary)
2016
Aurélie Rago (ENSCCF, Clermont-Ferrand, France; Erasmus+)
Mamuna Hussain (Lancaster University; Group Funds)
2015
James Nicholson (Lancaster University; RSC Undergraduate Research Bursary)
Project Students:
Bea Sawyer (University of Bath, MSc Drug Discovery research project)
Matthew Pomford (MChem 2021-2022) – now discovery scientist at Evotec
Evelina Semenova (BSc 2020-2021)
Heather Gaster (BSc 2020-2021; best CHEM381 project award)
Nahin Kazi (MSci 2020-2021) – now PhD student in the Coote group
Maddie Jewitt (MSci 2020-2021; best CHEM400 project award)
Sophie McBurnie (BSc 2019-2020)
Danny Treacher (MChem 2019-2020) – now PhD student at the University of Manchester
Anna Cagnoni (MSci 2019-2020) – now PhD student the University of Toronto
Patrick Grimes (MSci 2019-2020) – now PhD student at the University of Bristol
Katie Wood (BSc 2018-2019)
Tim Kirkman (MSci 2018-2019) – undertook a PhD at the University of Warwick; now a chemist at Concept Life Sciences in Sandwich
Eleanor Bowen (BSc 2017-2018; best CHEM381 project award)
Harriet Lewis (MChem 2017-2018)
Daniel Coggan (MChem 2016-2017)
Daniel Kitson (MChem 2016-2017)
Coote Group Research 