People

Meet the academic staff and students who have done research in organic synthesis.

Current students

PhD students

• Xu Tao (collaboration with Paul Teesdale-Spittle)
• Jordan McCone
• Ethan Woolly (collaboration with Paul Teesdale-Spittle)
• Ben Clarke (collaboration with Simon Hinkley)

Masters students

• Tom Bird
• Tim Sirrett

Interns

• Katie Fraine (MChem student, York; collaboration with Rob Keyzers)
• Daniel Powell (MChem student, York)

Previous group members

PhD students

• 2014–2018: Amira Brackovic (co-supervised by Peter Tyler), “Large Scale Synthesis of Peloruside A and Analogues” (now at Ferrier Research Institute).
• 2014–2018:  Sophie Geyrhofer, “Synthesis of New Analogues of Zampanolide” (now at MedSafe NZ).
• 2011–2016:  Thomas Bevan, “Azulene-based Protecting Groups”.
• 2011–2016:  Jingjing Wang, “Studies on the Synthesis of Marine Natural Product (-)-Zampanolide and its Analogues” (now at New Zealand Pharmaceuticals).
• 2011–2014: Kalpani Somarathne, “Synthesis of Highly Functionalised Furo[3,4-b]pyrans: Towards the Fungal Metabolite TAN-2483B” (now at Royal Society of NZ, Wellington).
• 2010–2013:  Mark Bartlett, “Transition Metal Catalyzed Linchpin-Based Strategies in Natural Product Synthesis: Synthesis of Asteriscunolide D, Aspergillide B and the Core of Labillarides E-H” (now at Gilead Pharmaceuticals).
• 2009–2014: Hemi Cumming (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Design and Synthesis of Simplified Analogues of Pateamine A” (now at Plant and Food Research).
• 2006–2010: Russell Hewitt, “Investigations of Ring-Opening Reactions of Cyclopropanated Carbohydrates: Towards the Synthesis of the Natural Product (-)-TAN-2483B” (now at ICES, Singapore).
• 2005–2008: Lynton Baird, “The Total Synthesis of Aigialomycin D and Analogues” (now teaching).
• 2004–2007: Emma Turner (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Design and Synthesis of Hybrid Peloruside A-Laulimalide Analogues” (now at University of Bristol, UK).
• 2003–2007: Shivali Gulab (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “An Aldol Approach Towards the Synthesis of Peloruside A and Analogues Thereof” (now at Avalia/Callaghan Innovation).

Masters students

• 2018–2019:  Oliver Bayley (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Synthesis of Novel Pyran Fragments to Incorporate into Peloruside Analogues”.
• 2018–2019:  Matthew Hooker (co-supervised by Rob Keyzers), “Analogues of 4-Cyclopentene-1,3-dione as Potential Antifungals”.
• 2018–2019: Daniela Butterfield (co-supervised by Anne La Flamme), “Immunology of TAN-2483B Analogues”.
• 2017–2018:  Phoebe Harmos (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Synthesis and growth inhibition studies of mycothiol analogues”.
• 2016–2017: Hedley Stirrat, “Synthesis of Lactam Analogues of TAN-2483B” (now at AgResearch).
• 2016–2017: Ashton Asbury (co-supervised by Rob Keyzers), “Synthesis of Rimarikiamide” (now at Regal Manufacturing Ltd).
• 2016–2017: Will Duynhoven, “Synthesis of Deuterated Peloruside A for Pharmacology Studies on the Blood-Brain Barrier”.
• 2015–2017: Matthew Fisk, “Synthesis of Heterocycles by a Pd-Catalysed Allylic Substitution Cascade” (now a PhD student at VUW).
• 2015–2017: Daniel Phipps, “Toward the Synthesis of the Fungal Metabolite (-)-TAN-2483B”.
• 2014–2015:  Loïc Lassueur (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Identifying the Mechanism of Action of Bioactive 1,2-Cyclopropyl Carbohydrates”.
• 2014–2016:  Sarah Brown (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Design and Synthesis of a Highly Simplified Pateamine Analogue”.
• 2011–2013: Claire Turner, “Studies on the Mechanism of Furopyran Formation using Pd-Catalysed Allylic Bis-alkylation Reactions” (now at MoE).
• 2011–2013: Scott Riordan (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Synthesis of a Mycothiol Analogue for Targetting Tuberculosis”.
• 2011–2013: Dylan Davies (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Synthesis and Action of Fluorescently Labelled Probes for Cellular Proteins”.
• 2010–2012: Peter Moore, “Synthesis of 2-C-Branched Sugars” (did PhD at University of Queensland, now a post-doc at University of Alabama, USA).
• 2010–2012:  Xuyu Liu (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Mechanistic investigation of 1,5-anti stereoinduction in aldol reactions” (now a PhD student at University of Sydney).
• 2008–2010: Sam Ting, “The Synthesis of Aigialomycin D Analogues” (now at IPONZ).
• 2008–2010: Febly Tho (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Towards the Synthesis of Hybrid Peloruside A and Laulimalide Analogues”.

Honours and PGDipSc students

• 2017: Paris Watson, “Approaches to TAN-2483B lactam analogues” (now a PhD student at University of Pennsylvania, USA, Fulbright Scholar).
• 2015: Ben Durrant, “Synthesis of Risperidone Analogues”.
• 2013: Stephen Tat, “Exploring the Scope of Palladium-Catalysed Allylic Substitution Cascades with Non-symmetric Dihydropyran Bis-Electrophiles”.
• 2011: Claudia Gray, “Synthesis of Side-Chain Variants of Zampanolide”.
• 2009: Jack Anderson (co-supervised by Andrew Kay), “Zwitterionic Organic non-Linear Optical Chromophores with Modified Acceptor Groups”.
• 2008: AnitaCorderoy, “Developing New C-Disaccharides”.
• 2008: Shi Lei (co-supervised by Andrew Kay), “Chromophores Synthesis”.
• 2006: Caitlin Patchett(co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Towards a Pro-Drug for the Treatment of Tuberculosis”.
• 2006: Emma Marie Smith (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Synthesis of a New Diester Variant of Peloruside A”.
• 2006: Milana Malivuk (co-supervised by Paul Teesdale-Spittle), “Formation of New Affinity Chromatography Matrices for Purification of GSTs from Lucilia cuprina”.
• 2005: Birthe Kortner, “The Development of Novel C-Disaccharides”.
• 2005: Russell Hewitt, “π-Allyl Cation cyclisations from a gem Dihalocyclopropane Precursor: Towards the Development of a Catalytic Enantioselective Process”.