The Group

Dr Venkaiah Chintalapudi
(Natural product synthesis)

I was born in Guntur district, AP, India. I obtained my B.S. in Chemistry from J.K.C College, Guntur. After finished my M.S. in Chemistry from JNTU Hyderabad, I began my doctoral studies under the guidance of Professor D. B. Ramachary at the University of Hyderabad, India. My doctoral research was focused on the development of new reactions based on the aminoenynes and phosphoniodienes. In Sept 2014, I joined in Prof. Anderson research group as postdoc. Currently I am working on asymmetric reactions of dieneamides. Outside the lab, I enjoys playing cricket, music and spending time with my friends.

Dr Carlos Arroniz
(Heterocycle Synthesis)

Born and raised in Barcelona, I completed my degree at the University of Barcelona where I stayed to carry out my PhD training on organo- and metal catalysis under the supervision of Dr Carmen Escolano. During my PhD studies I spent four months in the laboratories of Prof Karl Anker Jørgensen (Aarhus University). Upon obtaining my PhD, I came to the UK for a short stage in the group of Prof Adam Nelson at the University of Leeds, before starting a Knowledge Transfer Account between Queen Mary University of London and GlaxoSmithKline under the supervision of Prof Igor Larrosa and Dr Alan Ironmonger. The project was focused on developing C–H bond functionalisation reactions for optimal pharmaceutical applications. In the Anderson group, my work is concerned with the synthesis of five-membered aromatic heterocycles. Outside the lab I really enjoy watching football, especially when Barça play and win!

Dr Haraldur Gudmundsson
(Natural Product Synthesis)

I come from the land of ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow. I studied for my BSc degree in Chemistry at the University of Iceland and have completed my DPhil at Oxford reading Organic Chemistry. Being an Organic Chemist I spend most of my time in the lab, but outside I like cooking, reading, music and sports especially football, basketball and handball (the Icelandic national sport). I have also taken a keen interest in the British sport of going to the pubs

Christian Kuper
(Total Synthesis and Carbohydrate Methodology)

Most of my childhood I spent in a small village in north-western Germany before moving to Göttingen to study chemistry at the Georg-August University. I completed my Bachelors and Masters Degree in the group of Prof. Dr. Ackermann and around the topic of C-H bond functionalisations. Outside the lab I enjoy swimming, cooking and socialising with friends.

Aroonroj (Yao) Mekareeya
(Asymmetric Ynamide Methodology)

I'm Aroonroj, but I'd like people to call me "Yao" It's my nickname and easier to remember. I'm from Bangkok, Thailand. In 2013, I graduated from Imperial College London. I spent my last year at Imperial College working on an MSci project under the supervision of Dr Mimi Hii. It was about the investigation the chemodivergence in the addition of aminoindoles to chelating Michael acceptors. I am now working in the Anderson group as a DPhil student to study asymmetric reactions of ynamides. I usually enjoy playing sports (e.g. badminton, basketball) and surfing the Internet for my leisure.

Mujahid Mohammad
(Synthesis of Schisandra Natural Products)

I am Mujahid (or Mujji) from India, born and brought up in the capital city of Delhi. I did my B.Sc. and M. Tech., with Chemistry as my major subject, form the University of Delhi which was followed by an M.S. in Materials Science from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. I am now working as a D.Phil. in the Anderson group towards the synthesis of Schisandra Natural Products. Outside lab I enjoy playing Basketball, visiting places and surfing the Internet.

Steve Mansfield
(Ynamide Chemistry)

I am originally from Ormskirk and completed my undergraduate degree in Oxford. Under the supervision of Ed, my Part II project explored the construction of various electron-rich alkynes from simple precursors. I am back, once again, to explore the synthesis and reactivity of both ynamides and yndiamides. When not battling with and being outsmarted by chemistry, I enjoy playing badminton and pool, and training karate. I also enjoy pizzas and good movies.

Dimitri Caputo
(Bicyclopentane Chemistry)

I come from a small town near Grenoble, France. I graduated with a master's degree from the Graduate School of Chemistry of Montpellier. Over the course of my education, I had the opportunity to perform a one-year industrial placement at Bayer CropScience in Monheim in Rhein, Germany, where I synthesised compounds for crop protection. I was appointed for my master thesis at F. Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel, Switzerland to develop small molecules for ophthalmology. Within Ed Anderson's group, I am working on the developement of a new chemistry around the bicyclo(1.1.1)pentane ring to be used as a phenyl isostere in pharmaceuticals. Apart from work, I enjoy cooking, reading, playing the guitar and skiing.

Kai Ma
(Ynamide Chemistry)

My name is Kai and I come from a small city in Jiangsu, China. I obtained my MSci degree in 2015, from Imperial College London. During my final year, I worked on developing new carbon nucleophiles in copper-catalyzed reactions. I've now moved to the Anderson group to investigate rhodium-catalyzed cyclization reactions. Outside the lab, I am quite keen on sports & fitness. I like MMA and am doing some courses myself (Muay Thai, boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) - but in real life, I am not a violent person at all.

Claire Sear
(Anti-Leishmaniasis Natural Products)

I am originally from Sheffield and completed my MChem degree at the University of Warwick, where I spent my final year working with Dr David Fox on the use of NMR for the stereochemical assignment of isoleucine residues in peptides. During my degree, I also completed a URSS summer project in the group of Professor Mike Shipman on oxetane containing peptidomimetics for drug discovery. I also spent a week at GlaxoSmithKline on their Residential Chemistry Training Experience. My main interests lie in the development of new methods for organic synthesis, and their application to total synthesis and drug discovery. Outside of the lab, I am a health and fitness enthusiast and compete in track and field athletics, so can probably be found in the gym or at the track. Other loves include musical theatre, cooking, and outdoor activities such as camping and hill walking.

Felix Urbitsch
(Silane Methodology and Natural Product Synthesis)

I graduated from a double-degree programme with a Diplôme d’ingénieur from the ENSC Rennes and a M.Sc. degree from the Technische Universität Dresden. During my studies, I had the opportunity to broaden my academic knowledge through research projects at BASF and IPF Dresden. Intrigued by the power of organic chemistry, I completed my master’s thesis on the synthesis of clerodane diterpenoids, under the supervision of Professor Peter Metz. My research interests include total synthesis, cascade reactions and organocatalysis. In my spare time, I enjoy playing volleyball, ballroom dancing and playing the guitar. I am also an avid student of foreign languages.

Eddie Toma
(Total Synthesis and Carbohydrate Methodology)

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.. I completed two Bachelor of Science degrees from Michigan State University, one in chemistry and the other in biochemistry and molecular biology. During my tenure at Michigan State University, I worked in Prof Babak Borhan’s lab investigating a one-pot synthesis of highly functionalized bicyclic piperidines using the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction, developed diastereoselective halogenated spiroketals, and assisted in creating a halenium affinity scale. I completed my senior thesis under the supervision of Prof Honggao Yan, studying the Michaelis-Menten kinetics of enzymes by using site-directed mutagenesis. Upon graduation, I proceeded to work several years in various fields of the pharmaceutical industry for a couple different companies doing biochemical testing and as a research scientist in analytical development, solid-state chemistry and crystallography. In the Anderson group I am working towards the total synthesis of heronamide F. Outside the lab, I currently am the president of Science Innovation Union, a graduate and post-graduate student led non-profit organisation helping scientist learn to translate their research, and I enjoy fishing, hiking, camping, cooking, and like to stay in shape by playing most sports.

Marie Wong
(Bicyclopentane Chemistry)

Marie is from Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, and completed her MChem degree at the University of Oxford. Her Part II project, supervised by Prof Ed Anderson, investigated the design of novel phosphoramidite ligands for asymmetric cycloisomerizations. Marie has also worked with Prof John Hartwig at UC Berkeley on palladium-catalysed arylation reactions and with Prof Scott Miller at Yale University to develop peptide-based catalysts for the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation. When not in the lab, Marie enjoys traveling, photography and music.

Floyd

Floyd arrived with us in late October 2014 from the Amazon. He astutely supervises the group in all things chemistry, whilst adding a dash of pink to the office area. In his free time Floyd enjoys wading in the Isis and sunning himself on the beach with beers.