I am a bioorganic chemist/chemical biologist with research interests in the biosynthesis of natural products at the chemical and genetic level. Specifically, my research focuses on natural products with important medicinal properties and in understanding how biosynthetically intriguing motifs within these compounds are assembled. From this vantage point we harness individual enzymes as convenient tools for organic synthesis, and employ a combination of synthetic chemistry and synthetic biology to harness entire biosynthetic pathways in order to enable expeditious access to libraries of medicinally relevant compounds. These libraries may be used to gain a greater understanding as to how the drug acts at the molecular level within the cell. I am establishing a national and international reputation presenting numerous invited research seminars across the world including Brazil, Capetown, Delhi, Kyoto, Denver and, Boston, in addition to invited seminars at numerous European departments and companies.
University of St Andrews
