Personal Statement
Expertise / Interests:
Polymer synthesis, especially of block copolymers. Polymer functionalization (small molecules at present, biomolecules are a future aspiration). Polyelectrolytes. Self-Assembly, especially polymer self-assembly and Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly (CDSA) which generates precision non-spherical polymer nanomaterials. Non-spherical nanomaterials and their applications. Polymer and nanomaterial characterization/analysis (especially of size / shape / dispersity). The ‘nano-bio’ interface and the biology of nanomaterials. Therapeutic delivery (especially of nucleic acids). Continuous-flow polymer nanoparticle synthesis. Hierarchical assembly (an emerging area of my research). Depolymerization (specifically of polyesters / polycarbonates). Also interested in high-throughput experimentation and data analysis.

Research Overview
My research has four main themes at present, centered around the use of precision polymer nanomaterials:
1) Hierarchical polymer assembly - making complex materials with structural control across multiple length scales.
2) Autonomous, high-throughput polymer self-assembly - producing polymer nanomaterials in a rapid fashion for increased discovery, optimisation and scalability.
3) Precision polymer nanomedicine - exploring the biomedical and therapeutic applications of precision polymer nanomaterials including nucleic acid delivery and antipathogenic nanomaterials.
4) Sustainable polymer nanomaterials - producing polymer nanomaterials with increased sustainability and studying their degradation.