Currently, we are a team of one postdoctoral researcher and thirteen PhD students. Supervision is led by Professor Billy Kerr, Dr Dave Lindsay and Dr Laura Paterson.
Dr Dave Lindsay
Dave studied chemistry at the University of Strathclyde and obtained his PhD (1999) in organic chemistry with Prof Billy Kerr. Dave carried out postdoctoral studies in Munich with Prof Dr Paul Knochel and then at the University of Bristol with Prof Tim Gallagher. Dave continued his academic career with positions at the Universities of Bristol, Reading and Glasgow, and is currently a Senior Lecturer at Strathclyde.
Dr Laura Paterson
Laura studied chemistry at the University of Strathclyde and obtained her PhD (2011) in organic chemistry with Prof Billy Kerr. After a 1-year postdoctoral stay in the group of Prof J. S. Clark at the University of Glasgow working on a total synthesis project, she returned to Strathclyde as the Manager of the Collaborative GSK Research Programmes and Research Manager in the Kerr team.
Marina Economidou
Marina graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MChem Chemistry degree in 2021. During her undergraduate studies she undertook an industrial placement with GSK, working on the investigation of impurity rejection during crystallisation processes. She joined our team in October 2021 for her PhD, which is in collaboration with GSK and focused on transition metal coupling in pharmaceutical manufacture. Outside the lab, Marina enjoys travelling and baking.
David Fernandez Aguado
David is a 4th Year student as part of the Strathclyde-GSK Collaborative Industrial PhD Programme. He joined our team following a BSc in Chemistry degree at the Complutense University of Madrid and an MSc in Synthetic Chemistry working on asymmetric catalysis. His PhD project focuses on the development of novel sp3-sp3 cross-coupling reactions. David’s main hobbies and interests are hiking and travelling, including volunteering and community involvement, and he also loves music, especially rock: Pink Floyd, Queen or The Doors.
Liam Raeside
Liam is in the 3rd year of his PhD studies having completed his MChem in Chemistry with Drug Discovery degree in 2022 at Strathclyde. During the final year of his undergraduate degree, Liam carried out research in our group which focused on the iridium-catalysed hydrogen isotope exchange of dipeptides. Liam’s PhD work will now explore new, complementary methods for the directed meta-labelling of arenes with deuterium using iridium catalysis. Outside of his PhD studies Liam enjoys running, socialising, and travelling.
Stephanie Rowe
Stephanie is in the 3rd year of her PhD studies having completed her MChem Chemistry with Drug Discovery degree in 2022 at the University of Strathclyde. During her final year of her undergraduate degree, Stephanie carried out research in our group which focused on the generation of chiral, sp3 heterobicyclic systems as potential novel pharmaceutical scaffolds. Stephanie’s PhD work, will explore new metal-mediated cyclisation methods for the generation of heteroatom functionalised polycyclic systems. Outside of her PhD, Stephanie enjoys travelling, socialising, reading and listening to music (especially country music).
Dan Webb
Dan is in the 3rd year of his PhD studies having completed an MChem Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry degree in 2022 at Newcastle University. During his undergraduate studies, Dan spent a year at GSK in Stevenage, and in his Final Year he conducted research in medicinal chemistry within the Newcastle Centre for Cancer under the supervision of Dr Celine Cano. Dan’s PhD research is funded by Medical Research Scotland, and in collaboration with Charles River Laboratories. His studies are focused in the field of targeted protein degradation, particularly on the development of novel PROTAC technology for CNS penetration and inhaled delivery. Outside of the lab, Dan enjoys watching football and going rock climbing, and can frequently be found at the local bouldering wall.
Austin Burman
Austin graduated from the University of Calgary in 2018 with a BSc Honours degree in Chemistry. In 2023, Austin gained an MSc in Chemistry from the University of Victoria, working on the study of novel pinacol-type rearrangements. He joined our research team in October 2023 as a PhD Student and his work will focus on the asymmetric deprotonation of prochiral ketones toward the development of sp3-enriched heterobicyclic scaffolds. Austin is from the Great White North of Canada and has been grateful to move to milder (though wetter) weather. In his free time, Austin enjoys playing music, painting miniatures, and mixology.
Andrew McAleer
Andrew is in the 2nd Year of his PhD studies having previously graduated with a MChem Chemistry degree from the University of Strathclyde in 2023. During the Final Year of this degree, Andrew worked within the Kerr group on iridium catalysed hydrogen isotope exchange of dipeptides. Andrew’s work now focuses on using our suite of iridium catalysts in the formation of new C-N bonds. During his spare time, Andrew regularly plays tennis and attends football matches.
Eric Simpson
Eric is in the 2nd year of his PhD studies, having completed his MChem in Chemistry in 2022 at the University of Strathclyde, which included a one-year industrial placement at GSK in Stevenage. After completing his undergraduate studies, Eric joined Alessio Ciulli’s group at the University of Dundee in which he worked in the area of targeted protein degradation. Eric then returned to GSK in October 2023 as part of the Strathclyde-GSK collaborative Industrial PhD Programme. Outside of his PhD, Eric enjoys travelling, hiking, and cycling.
Ridhima Raina
Ridhima is a 1st year PhD student from India. She completed her Bachelors of Science (with Honours) degree in Chemistry from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi before moving to Europe as an Erasmus Mundus Scholar. Ridhima achieved an International Master of Science Degree in Sustainable Drug Discovery from Ghent University, Belgium. As part of this, Ridhima seconded to the University of Queensland, Brisbane as a visiting researcher working on the synthesis of selective HDAC inhibitors in Prof. David Fairlie’s Lab as her Master’s Thesis research. Ridhima commenced PhD studies in December 2024 as part of the GSK/University of Strathclyde Collaborative PhD Programme and is currently working on late-stage methylation for isotopic labelling. Outside the lab, Ridhima likes travelling, painting, reading fantasy novels, and listening to music.
Jonah Eicke
Jonah is in the First Year of his PhD, having completed his MSci in Natural Sciences (Chemistry) at the University of Cambridge in 2024. During the Final Year of his undergraduate studies, Jonah worked in the group of Professor Matthew Gaunt, applying photoredox catalysis to oligonucleotides. Following this, Jonah joined the Kerr Research Group for his PhD in collaboration with GSK and is working on the decarboxylative trifluoromethylation of arenes. Outside of the lab, Jonah enjoys cooking, travelling, and ballroom dancing.
Lucy Pryde
Lucy is in the 1st Year of her PhD studies having completed her MChem in Chemistry with Drug Discovery degree in 2024 at the University of Strathclyde, which included a one-year Industrial Placement at Syngenta. During the Final Year of her undergraduate degree, Lucy carried out research in the Kerr group, focusing on the iridium-catalysed hydrogen isotope exchange of dipeptides. Lucy’s PhD work will now explore new, complementary methods for the C-sp3 labelling of biologically relevant targets with deuterium using iridium catalysis. Outside of her PhD studies, Lucy enjoys swimming, socialising, and travelling.
Caitlin Gow
Caitlin is in the 1st Year of her PhD studies, following completion of her MChem Chemistry with Drug Discovery degree in 2024 at the University of Strathclyde. During her undergraduate degree, Caitlin completed a full year Industrial Placement at Bayer CropScience AG, followed by a Final Year project within the Kerr Group, focused on research towards the synthesis of chiral, sp3 heterobicyclic systems as potential novel pharmaceutical scaffolds. Now, in her PhD, Caitlin is working within the area of iridium catalysed C-C bond formation. In her free time, Caitlin enjoys gaming, reading, and spending time outdoors.
Calum Sutherland
Calum is in the 1st Year of his PhD, having completed his MChem Chemistry with Drug Discovery at the University of Strathclyde including a Final Year project within the Kerr group working on hydrogen isotope exchange of benzyl amines. His PhD studies are focused on the synthesis of a fungal-derived natural product using metal-mediated methods. Outside of chemistry, Calum is an avid motorsport fan and regularly attends races both in the UK and abroad. Hailing from the Highlands, he also enjoys the outdoors and is a keen snowboarder.
Kerr Group Research 