Chem@Cam Issue 66 Spring 2023

due in July).

entries received by 1st July (the solution will be revealed in our summer e-Chem@Cam, 2 3 Issue 66 Spring 2023

crossword written by postdoc Mary Wood. There will be a prize drawing from all correct

welcome the return of the much-loved puzzle page with a chemistry-themed cryptic

encouraging the next generation of researchers.

to get into the lab and do real research for the rst time. Such experiences are crucial in

alumni to fund summer projects: four of our undergraduates describe what it was like

In ‘What I did on my summer holiday’ you can read about how we are using gifts from

to overcome his unseen disability.

You can also read about how one early career researcher is using the latest technology

the word “queer” to represent celebration and unity, which has not always been the case.

is with important social issues. This includes the determination and bravery to reclaim

in Chemistry networks –it is so heartening to see how engaged the current generation

We also report on our student-led Gender Equality, Black Women in Science, and Queer

academics to nd out the advice they would have given to their younger selves.

experience as an industry-sponsored PhD. Libby also interviewed two established

on sulphur dioxide emissions to molecule-maker Rosa Mueller, and Libby Brown’s

We also feature a range of postgrad research and life, from Print Sakulsupich’s research

gatherings and networking events after the enforced solitude of Covid.

explain how they are working to encourage postgrads back to live workshops, social

department. At the core of this support is our newly reconstituted Postgraduate Education Team, who

some of their stories, and also about how they are supported by the

we decided to use this issue of Chem@Cam to tell you about

researchers is a continuous source of pride and inspiration, so

The energy and enthusiasm of our students and early career

syndrome can help you to develop

con dent, and having imposter

scientist Brave: It is okay to not always be

a more robust and ful lled

Be brave and kind –to be

love doing, and work hard to master it.

superpower Find something (a skill, a topic) you

approaches for energy conversion.

which is investigating biohybrid

Fellow with her own research group,

She is now a David Phillips Research

Curie International Incoming Fellow.

joining the Department as a Marie

University of Sydney in 2012, before

Jenny completed her PhD at the

Dr Jenny Zhang

when they started their research careers.

Work hard and develop a

con dence in your decisions.

form your own opinions and develop

Not all advice is useful –trust yourself,

quote from science journalist Ed Yong:

polished form of who you want to be.

expected. It can take years to reach the

privilege. Jenny wanted to leave us with this

will fail, fail and fail again but this is to be

importantly, be kind to yourself. You

Kind: Be kind to others. But more

some combination of luck and

everyone is speaking to you from

you receive... including this, recognising that

opportunities that are presented to you.

Be cautious about all the advice

out of your comfort zone and grasp

you. It is a good idea to put yourself

brave and do something that scares

other projects or paths.

can take it with you to bring value to

competence before con dence. Be

This is something you will own and you

at the beginning of my PhD. I spoke to Dr Chiara Giorio and Dr Jenny Zhang about the advice they wish they had received

years of failure and disappointment. Although am only three years into research life, there are already things I wish I’d known

take on the world of research. You soon learn, however, that science is hard. For every breakthrough, there are months if not

PhD student Libby Brown writes: A PhD is a steep learning curve. You arrive on day one, fresh-faced and bright-eyed, ready to

researchers.

r Chiara Giorio and Dr Jenny Zhang share their top tips for PhD students and early career

A note to my younger self

go wrong.

adapt and explore options when things

organised. But you also must be able to

manoeuvre To succeed as a researcher, you must be

Make a plan but leave room for

may not even know exist.

possibilities, not just academic, that you

to new opportunities and career

than yourself can open your eyes

Talking to people with more experience

PhD/postdoc mentorship programmes.

range of academic, peer-to-peer and

The University of Cambridge has a wide

University Mentoring Scheme

Make use of the Cambridge

past of the Earth’s atmosphere.

is focused on exploring the present and

Lecturer. Research in the Giorio group

in 2020 as an Atmospheric Chemistry

and Italy before joining the Department

conducted research in the UK, France

University of Padua (Italy) in 2012. She

Chiara completed her PhD at the

Dr Chiara Giorio

writing too.

experiments. Make time for reading and

Research should not just consist of

This advice is pretty self-explanatory.

writing

mistakes. 1/3 lab work, 1/3 reading, 1/3

yourself up and learn from your

failure. Don’t take it personally, pick

the game Every good researcher has experienced

Failure and rejection are part of

reviews to nd knowledge gaps.

ideas along the way and read literature

Accept that you will have lots of bad

research and throughout your postdoc.

towards the end of your postgraduate

come with time and can develop later

throughout your PhD. However, ideas

academic you must be full of ideas

Many believe that to succeed as an

from the start

You don’t have to be full of ideas

Bernardes group on page 16.

funded PhD with AstraZeneca and the 4 5

experience completing an industry-

Gabriella Bocchetti, ©University of Cambridge

atmosphere.

from the Earth’s surface, which cools the

clouds and re ect more sunlight away

Whilst sulphur dioxide aerosols are

looking for solutions to global warming.

and whiter than naturally-forming

to the aerosol, these clouds are brighter

This tool is especially important when

which modi es cloud properties. Thanks

a nucleus that water vapour clings to,

circulate around the globe.

an environment can have e ects that

to form aerosols. These aerosols act as

with other molecules in the atmosphere

fossil fuels. When sulphur dioxide is airborne it reacts

industry, mostly through the burning of

the majority of emissions are caused by

the atmosphere via volcanic activity but

more acidic. It is released naturally into

is harmful to humans and makes rain

Sulphur dioxide is a corrosive gas that

Sulphate aerosol

predictions,” explains Print.

models to make better climate

“It’s very important to have accurate

understood.

sulphur dioxide gas can be accurately

error bars so that the e ects of releasing

in the Archibald group to reduce these

margin of uncertainty. Print is working

however, the precise amount has a large

are responsible for cooling the planet;

Aerosols formed from sulphur dioxide

and Eastern Asia.

over two highly a ected areas: Europe

e ects of toxic sulphur dioxide emissions

atmospheric sciences studying the

Print is a third-year PhD student in

atmosphere.

uncertainties rst but it’s an exciting idea.”

abroad so there were a lot of new things

“We would want to remove a lot of

currently unknown,” comments Print.

aerosols on ecosystems and oceans are

COVID-19 lockdown.

but the long-term e ects of di erent

atmosphere to cool down areas locally,

is and how even localised changes in

demonstrates how connected the planet

the Earth’s atmospheric chemistry. It

and which Print uses to investigate

ice sheets, oceans and the atmosphere,

the Earth, such as between ecosystems,

between di erent components within

is a model that simulates interactions

The United Kingdom Earth System Model

UKESM

a ected by acid rain.

vegetation is a common sight in areas

if the water is too acidic, and damaged

sh eggs, for example, may not hatch

susceptible to more acidic environments:

of the environment. Some species are

soils, lakes and oceans changing the pH

atmosphere. The sulphur rain is acidic and enters

not have time to mix evenly in the Earth’s

dioxide are local because the gas does

This means that the e ects of sulphur

atmosphere as rain within about a week.

hand, have a short lifetime and leave the

enduring problem. Aerosols, on the other

that global warming is a critical and

atmosphere, which is one of the reasons

dioxide has a long lifetime in the

Most people are now aware that carbon

Sakulsupich investigates aerosols that cool down the

warming the environment, but

Vichawan ‘Print’

tmospheric pollutants are often associated with

AUp in the air

the members are women from di erent 12 13

projects to release aerosols into the upper

“There are ideas about geo-engineering

the atmosphere to cool the planet safely.

aerosol that scientists could release into

hidden in the model in the form of an

Print muses that there may be a solution

aerosols can help cool down the planet.

harmful, they demonstrate that certain

home or nd accommodation during the

her rst job was to help students get

secretary at St Edmund’s College where

activities. She became combination room

part of a group where more than half of

really supportive and I’m grateful to be

her PhD, Print threw herself into college

When she rst moved to Cambridge for

and Dr Paul Gri ths, and my group are

Research Institute of her native Thailand.

“I’ve come this far because my

worked at the National Astronomical

Print moved into meteorology and

Although her background is in physics,

even have a cold winter!”

middle of winter and Thailand doesn’t

Across the skies

countries and backgrounds.” Women in Chemistry

to adjust to. For example, I moved in the

“I’m grateful to be

part of a group

where more than

half of the members

are women from

diferent countries

and backgrounds.

Print Sakulsupich

can cause phenomena like re ections

media it is subject to refraction which

di erent speeds through di erent

Explanation: When light travels at

jar of water.

on stress. Toys in water Miniature toys appear suspended in a

which has variable viscosity dependent

example of a non-Newtonian uid,

of very small corn our particles is an

constant viscosity, but this suspension

Explanation: Most uids have a

spot a Jewel beetle.

Use standard cinema 3D spectacles to

Find the shiny beetle

an electric current to power toy cars.

passed through a fuel cell, generating

water electrolysis is captured and

Explanation: The hydrogen fuel from

toy car.

Create enough hydrogen to power a

Hydrogen fuel

stay still and you sink!

Run across it and it holds you up, but

Corn our slime

Learning about non-Newtonian uids the messy way!

fun.

C hemistry

appear to be oating.

water so it is not di racted and the toys

them is travelling at the same speed as

swollen with water, so the light inside

beads (special hydrogels) which are

or distortions. The jar is lled with agar

success!

and volunteers who helped make the day a

like to thank all the students, researchers

that were on o er at Open Day, and we’d

This is just a selection of the many activities

ensures the day runs smoothly.

Coordinator Emma Powney, who always 14 15

on this annual event, and Outreach

support makes it possible for us to put

Walters-Kundert Charitable Trust, whose

the young ones.

nice for us as well –we can learn from

young people. I think it might be very

I am very excited to interact with the

Final year PhD student, Clarke group

Najib Shari (this page, top)

sugar.

instantly freeze a mixture of cream and

colder than ice that it can almost

at very low temperatures. It is so much

them to form oxygen gas.

negative hydroxide ions and oxidises

Explanation: Nitrogen becomes liquid

The positive pencil tip (anode) draws

bubbles to the surface of the water.

Instant ice cream using liquid nitrogen.

Liquid nitrogen ice cream

light, which makes it easy to spot.

that permits left-circulating polarised

beetle is brighter seen through the lens

left-circulating polarised light. The Jewel

structures on their bodies only re ect

metallic appearance because the tiny

Explanation: Jewel beetles have a shiny

reduces them to hydrogen gas, which

positively charged hydrogen ions and

negative pencil tip (cathode) draws

electric current from the battery. The

setup, the pencil electrodes transfer

Explanation: In this simple electrolyser

the researchers who were getting messy, and nd out about some of the science behind the

activities convey real scienti c principles at an understandable level. Meet some of

enthusiasm for chemistry with members of the public. Their engaging, hands-on

Open Day is a chance for postdocs, postgrads and undergrads to share their

Sharing the joy of science

Chemistry Open Day:

science?

us and continuing the development of

how will people be interested in joining

explain what we actually do in the lab,

If we don’t share our knowledge and

important things we can do in science.

I think that outreach is one of the most

First year PhD student, Vignolini group

Marina Portoghese

water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Pencils connected to a battery split

Pencil

batteries

you couldn’t eat it!

Last year we did pH, which was fun, but

was very happy to be involved this year.

I really enjoyed helping last year so I

Tom Wharton Third year Phd student, Spring group

love interacting with children.

I’m pretty interested in chemistry and I

First year undergrad

in photo)

Linjia Jin (this page, bottom, leftmost

the kids enjoy getting messy!

nice to be on the other end of that. And

to me wanting to do science. It’s sort of

things like this, and it really contributed

When I was their age I came to a lot of

especially with the younger generation.

nice sharing science knowledge,

I volunteered today because it’s really

Third year undergrad

Dylan Cleveland (opposite page)

Michael Webb, ©University of Cambridge

“I think that outreach is one of

the most important

things we can do in

science.

”

Marina Portoghese

PhDs, approval is required to present

as is often the case with industry-linked

ie, research for the sake of learning. And

prefer a more academic style of research,

such as drug discovery, others may

project with clear practical applications

Whilst I have enjoyed working on a

display screening process.

that are compatible with the phage

chemical methods for cyclising peptides

years, I have been developing new

of target binding. Over the past four

cyclised, to reduce the entropic penalty

phage-displayed peptides can be

To further increase binding a nity,

screening technique.

discovered using this high throughput

in ammatory bowel disease have been

arthritis, lung cancer, psoriasis and

interest. Treatments for rheumatoid

high a nity to a therapeutic target of

new proteins or peptides that bind with

of phage display libraries, to help identify

My research focuses on the construction

Life in the lab

completing an industry-linked PhD.

at AstraZeneca. Here, I describe my own experience of

Ravn (followed by Dr Monika Papworth)

Department of Chemistry and Dr Peter

by Professor Gonçalo Bernardes in the

iCASE PhD studentship jointly supervised

AstraZeneca. So in October 2019, I started my BBSRC

Department of Chemistry and

to split my lab work between the

my case, I was given the opportunity

academic and partner organisations. In

in research collaborations between

funds students to undertake research

Science and Technology programme

The Industrial Cooperative Awards in

L

AsI see it

ciently.

my experiments carefully and work

student, so I have had to learn to plan e

in when I work than a standard PhD

Friday. This means I have less exibility

hours tend to be 9 to 5, Monday to

or at the weekend, so my working

Unlike the Department of Chemistry,

Working hours

other collaborators.

supervisor, industrial supervisor and

to bridge the gap between my academic

communication and organisational skills

experience has helped me develop my

di erent time commitments! But this

di erent industries and professions have

arrange meetings when people from

I discovered it can be di cult to

academic and industrial supervisor.

day) and meet regularly with both my

meetings (sometimes on the same

training courses, attend multiple group

to complete university and industry

excellent time management. I have had

A joint university-industry PhD requires

Time management

undergraduate supervisions.

over for interesting talks and to teach

Department of Chemistry, I still pop

time completing lab work in the

Although don’t spend much

phage display experiments.

high-tech equipment needed to perform

are great, and I have access to all the

just south of Cambridge. The facilities

AstraZeneca’s Granta Park labs, located

analysis on the side. I am mainly based at

but also a little bit of computational data

My usual day includes a lot of lab work

ndings, which some may nd restrictive.

at conferences or publish interesting

industry-linked PhD. She describes her experience below.

By interacting with employees across

start to nish.

entire drug development process from

Libby Brown

developed a good understanding of the

that they deem important.

the experimental and transferable skills

to state-of-the-art technology and

clear practical applications, had access

invested time and money in teaching me

industry-based PhD, AstraZeneca has

guarantee of a job at the end of an

September this year. While there is no

I will be submitting my PhD in

What’s next?

events at my college (Jesus).

(I run for the university) and attend

to participate in extra-curricular activities

On the plus side, this leaves lots of time

I have worked on a project that has

Cambridge University-AstraZeneca PhD.

display!). To summarise... I have thoroughly enjoyed my joint

the business, I have established a good professional network for career advice

companies (hopefully doing more phage

guidance throughout my PhD.

have provided me with support and

to jobs at biotech and pharmaceutical

some incredible scientists who

factors give me con dence as I apply

and interview practice. Together, these

opportunity to meet and work with

and AstraZeneca, I have had the

Through both the university

Nathan Pitt, ©University of Cambridge 16 17

“I have had the opportunity to meet and work with

some incredible scientists.”

Libby Brown

explains Dr Boris Breiner, Lambda’s Chief Scientist.

“But if

or blue-end light is not used e ciently for plant growth,”

“Too much UV light is damaging for plants, so high-energy

collaboration with an R & D start-up called Lambda Energy.

more plant-friendly wavelengths. The group is working in

‘down convert’ the high-energy photons in sunlight to

The Wright group is creating molecules which are able to

characteristics of the new molecules, which are then tested

The researchers use X-ray crystallography to con rm the

which aspects you can improve.”

form of these compounds, and then you test them and learn

and emit red light. Rosa says: “We started with a very easy

lanthanide Europium, which is known to absorb UV light

They are structured as molecular cages that include the

Rosa describes the molecules she synthesises as ‘chunky’.

energy wavelengths of the solar spectrum, such as red.

productive if exposed to higher amounts of the lower-

The problem Plants grow in sunlight, but crop plants are much more

quantum yield.

wavelengths to the visible spectrum, the greater the

more e ective the molecules are at converting the high

The science Simply put, Rosa’s job is to make new molecules. The

enhance solar absorption in plants and solar cells.

development of new nanomaterials which can be used to

lighting.”

Wright’s research group, Rosa is playing a key role in the

As a student in Professor of Inorganic Chemistry Dominic

increase crop yields without spending more on arti cial

you can down convert the light to the optimum wavelength for plant growth, for example inside a greenhouse, you can

R

which could help improve plant growth and solar panel e ciency.

osa Mueller started her PhD in October 2022 and is already building new molecules

The molecule maker

summer.

series of greenhouse experiments at Cran eld University this

just good,” says Boris. “She’s good good.”

both agree that she is especially skilled in her role.

looking forward to testing their new nanomaterials in a

The team members are upbeat about the future, and are

But Rosa also enjoys making molecules, and Dom and Boris

what we are working on now.”

need to shift absorption into the blue end of light. That is

solar spectrum, but we want to capture 20 percent, so we

Boris agrees: “UV light is only three to ve percent of the

the blue and the green range. It is currently very tricky.”

atmosphere. So we are also trying to capture the photons in

there is not that much UV light, because it’s absorbed by the

converted. Rosa says: “If you look at the solar spectrum,

energy photons that can be absorbed before being down

The next challenge will be to increase the range of high

Next steps

patent to protect this new technology.

increasing electrical output. Lambda has recently led a

these higher-energy wavelengths to red light, thereby

violet light. Lambda’s new coatings could down convert

electricity and are much less e ective at converting UV and

work best at converting red and near infrared light into

of the photovoltaic cells used in solar panels. These cells

Boris. The new materials can also be used to improve the e ciency

material with almost 100 percent quantum yield,” explains

percent, but thanks to Rosa’s molecules, we’ve now got a

reported to have quantum yields varying from 40 to 50

“We based our initial studies on molecules which were

being tested once again.

incorporated into polymer lms by Lambda Energy before

Dr Petra Cameron’s group at the University of Bath and

for quantum yield. The most promising are scaled up by

members of our group are really great.”

really easy to nd a social environment that I like. And all the

“Partially because I do so much rowing, but also it’s been

St John’s College, loves to row.

“I love Cambridge,” she says.

In the little free time that she has, Rosa, who is a member of

already thought of that!”

come to her and say ‘can you try this?’ and it turns out she’s

Boris agrees. “We give her minimal input. For example we

molecular chemistry actually work.”

primary one delivering on the new materials and making the

built the molecular side of the project. Rosa’s been the

The scientist Dom says: “This is a story of how a PhD student has basically

anti-counterfeiting technology in money.”

have other uses in medical sensors, display technology, and

great potential for improving solar cell e ciency. They also

only improve crop yields in greenhouses, but they also have

with a very high quantum yield,” says Boris. “They will not

“We are developing new materials that are cheap, robust and

“She’s not just

good. She’s good good.”

20 21 Issue 66 Spring 2023

who stammer, Nature (2022) 607 197-199.

working with supportive colleagues.” 26

this would a ect his career, especially

institutions have inclusive practices in

Mobbassar, and he is passionate that

he says.

Mobbassar was worried how

daunting, even exclusionary, for 1 Hassan SK, Communication tools for scientists

like a pressure building inside me,”

his voice.

“When I raise my voice it’s

In the past, job interviews have been

Mobbassar concludes: “There are fewer

environment for people who stammer.

stammer and struggles to project

as an unseen disability –he has a

Mobbassar has what could be de ned

Text to voice technology

audience can see.

on a blank PowerPoint slide that the

phrases whilst simultaneously typing

Mobbassar speaks in keywords and

time limit! When answering questions,

electricity sustainably.

essential for advances in storing

supercapacitor materials, which are

and understand surfaces in di erent

could also be employed to characterise

enjoyed,” he says. These techniques

challenging work that have really

phenomena.

“This is exciting and

leads to better understanding of many

real time is inherently powerful and

Observing reactions happening in

it makes sure he sticks to a conference

Another advantage he points out is that

saying — not how they are saying it.

to con dently focus on what they are

way to help scientists who stammer

Mobbassar says the software is a simple

and when he is giving presentations.

synthesiser programme for teaching

enlist technology. He uses a speech

Mobbassar’s solution has been to

world are a ected by stammering.

intense heat or pressure.

extreme environments, such as under

stammer.” Over 70 million people around the

processes happening on surfaces in

techniques, he can observe chemical

visible until I speak — you can’t see my

presentations. “My impediment isn’t

this and a suite of state-of-the-art

real time at the molecular level. Using

when lecturing students and giving

watch chemical reactions happening in

spectroscopic instrument systems to

used in various microscopic and

cells and in-situ setups that can be

designs and develops custom sample-

investigate corrosion, Mobbassar

in response to its surroundings. To

corrosion, where a material deteriorates

sciences group. His research focuses on

in Professor Stuart Clarke’s surface

Mobbassar is a postdoctoral researcher

lecturer.

success as a researcher and

stopped him from achieving

entire life. But this hasn’t

has had a stammer his

r

Mobbassar Hassan Sk

who stammer

of how to create a more welcoming

wants to increase their awareness

and it is a useful read for anyone who

enhance his science communication

covers some of the tools he uses to

tools for scientists who stammer 1 . It

correspondence called Communication

has published in the journal Nature a

In addition to his research, Mobbassar

Scientists who stammer

collaborate in team meetings.

this technique for lectures and to

greatly encouraged, and he still uses

to deliver talks. He says this has been

rst started using a speech synthesiser

time, and it is in Cambridge where he

current role, he was provided with more

example, when interviewed for his

fairly here in the department. For

Mobbassar feels he has been treated

Wothers

presentation 11 Feb 2023 taken by Michael Webb ©University of Cambridge

thesis, a rare letter written by Humphry Davy, alchemical

collection, which included a copy of Marie Curie’s signed

was held. After the lecture, guests were able to view the

McGrath Centre at St Catherine’s College, where the lecture

historic science texts, many of which were on display in the

Peter also referred to his interest in collecting rare and

YouTube channel.

videos, on the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

You can watch the lecture, along with many other great

early women scientists who helped make this possible.

in science for women and girls. Jane Marcet was one of the

in Science, which promotes equal access and participation

more elements were discovered or renamed.

book needed to be updated in a series of later editions, as

celebrated the UN International Day for Women and Girls

completed both his degrees at St Catharine’s. The event also

very highly of her scienti c abilities. Peter showed how the

Marcet’s correspondence with Michael Faraday, who thought

College, Professor John Pyle, introduced Peter, who

some highlights of this early science textbook, including

published anonymously in 1805. Peter led viewers through

St Catharine’s. Former Head of Department and Fellow of St Catharine’s

Intended More Especially for the Female Sex which was rst

Marcet’s most well-known work is Conversations on Chemistry

books, and an artwork representing the periodic table of electron orbitals which Peter designed with colleague

George Trenins, a former student in theoretical chemistry at

D

annual alumni lecture on 11 February.

rPeter Wothers gave a fascinating talk on pioneering science writer Jane Marcet at our

Chemistry

Conversations on

Alumni festival

Save the date: Friday 22 September at 6pm

The University of Cambridge alumni festival is a weekend of discovery, intellectual adventure and reconnection which takes place every year in September. As part of the event, we will be hosting an educational and fun presentation about some of our latest research, suitable for ages 12 and above.

You will be able to enjoy a glass of something sparkling and some nibbles in our Cybercafé while learning about the exciting research going on here in the department. Watch for more details in the July e-Chem@Cam.

Last year researchers spoke about their summer project using arti cial leaves to convert sunlight into solar fuel.