Forgan Group Alumni



Dr Rachel Foulkes - PhD 2019-2023

Rachel carried out her PhD in alignment with the EPSRC IRC in Targeting Hard to Treat Cancers, where she investigated the delivery of pancreatic cancer treatments, including gemcitabine, from MOFs. After graduating she took up a position in the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr Ying Pan - Academic Visitor 2022-23

Ying joined us on a CSC-sponsored academic visit from School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Medical University, China, where she is an Associate Professor. She has worked on drug delivery and novel functionalisation protocols of Zr MOFs, and has returned to her home institution, where we intend to maintain the collaborative work.

Cameron McLean - Undergraduate Project 2022-23

Cameron synthesised new tris-bidentate chelates with novel oxime ligands for his MSci (hons) project. He has gone on to a PhD at the University of Strathclyde and GSK.

Arnav Saxena - Undergraduate Project 2022-2023

Arnav worked on the dual delivery of drugs via a dual-loading approach for his MSci (hons) project.

Dr Ignas Pakamorė - PhD 2018-2022

Ignas worked on a wide range of experimental and computational products, from crystallographic analysis of Ln MOFs through to developing algorithms for parameter space searching. He joined Prof Lee Cronin's group as a PDRA and now works as a data scientist for Deep Matter.

Dr Catherine Walshe - PhD 2018-2022

Cat studied the synthesis and postsynthetic modification of Sc MOFs, uncovering a range of new materials and processes. She has moved into industry as a research scientist at Impact Solutions.

Yijun Zhou - MSc Project 2022

Julie worked on the modulated self-assembly of Ga(III) MOFs.

Amanda Hogg - Undergraduate Project 2021-2022

Amanda carried out her MSci(hons) project on the use of computational methods and algorithms to more efficiently sample parameter space in the self-assembly of MOFs.

Michael Little - Undergraduate Project 2021-2022

Michael carried out his BSc(hons) project investigating the synthesis of mixed-linker Cr MOFs.

Dr Dominic Bara - PhD 2016-2020 / PDRA 2020-2022

Dom was both a PhD student and postdoc working on our ERC Starting Grant SCoTMOF. He has made significant breakthroughs in the modulated self-assembly of trivalent metal MOFs, particularly with Fe(III) and Cr(III), and left to take up a position with Eurofins Scientific.

Dr Fatma Demir Duman - PDRA 2018-2022

Fatma was a postdoc on our ERC Starting Grant SCoTMOF, where she developed a number of projects involving delivery of multiple drugs by surface modified MOF nanoparticles, and greatly assisted with running the group during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is now employed by Vector Bioscience.

Khi Chhay Chou - MSc Project 2021

Chhay worked on the role of solvent in directing phase formation in Sc MOFs, and is now a PhD student at the University of Birmingham.

Dr Sophia Boyadjieva - PhD 2017-2021 / PDRA 2021

Sophia worked on a number of aspects of nanomaterials for drug delivery, including determining the stability of different surface coatings, correlations between drug loading and pores sizes, and also discovered novel Zr MOFs. She now works as a researcher for Keracol.

Dr Alexander Thom - Undergraduate Project 2016-2017 / PhD 2017-2021 / PDRA 2021

Ali has worked on a number of projects during his time in the group, specialising in the modulated self-assembly of scandium and lanthanide MOFs. After a postdoctoral position with Dr Christian Serre in Paris, he now works for Cambrex.

Ethan Lowe - Undergraduate Project 2020-2021

Ethan worked with Jiarong and Mark investigating the reproducibility of size-controlled Zr MOF synthetic protocols. He joined the group of Prof Mark Murrie for his PhD in October 2021.

Mark Lennie - Undergraduate Project 2020-2021

Mark worked with Ethan and Jiarong investigating the reproducibility of size-controlled Zr MOF synthetic protocols.

Dr Nikolaos Panagiotou - PDRA 2019-2020

Nikos joined us from our collaborator Paul Shiels group, and worked on a range of drug delivery and biocompatibility projects. He returned to his native Greece where he now works for biotechnology company theraCell.

Dr Panagiota Markopoulou - PhD 2016-2020

Penny spent her PhD working on surface modification of MOFs for drug delivery and investigating biocompatibility in depth. Penny was responsible for introducing the real-time cell analysis technique to our group. Afer graduating, she returned to her native Greece and has found a job in the pharmaceutical industry.

Harry McLachlan - Undergraduate Project 2019-2020

Harry worked on synthesis of mixed linker Sc MOFs for his BSc (hons) project. After graduating, Harry intends to study for a postgraduate diploma in education.

Dr Pantelis Xydias - PDRA 2016-2019

Pantelis was a postdoctoral research associate on the ERC Starting Grant SCoTMOF, where he worked on a number of projects involving surface modifying different MOFs for delivery of anticancer agents. He now works for the Cambrex Corporation in Sweden.

Mert Sugur - IAESTE Trainee 2019

Mert spent eight weeks in the summer of 2019 working on the modulated and microwave syntheses of Y(III) and Zr(IV) MOFs, before returning to Turkey to complete his undergraduate degree.

Dr Sarah Griffin - Undergraduate Project 2014-2015 / PhD 2015-2019

Sarah initially worked on the introduction of alkyne-functionalised ligands into Zr and Hf MOFs, then was a PhD student as part of the CMAC DTC, studying the kinetics and processes of crystallisation of MOFs, publishing a number of papers. In July 2019 she took up a postdoctoral position with Prof Neil Champness at the University of Nottingham.

Emily Meekel - Undergraduate Project 2018-2019

Emily worked on modulaton of Fe MOFs for her MSci (hons) project, and joined the group of Prof Andrew Goodwin for her DPhil at the University of Oxford as a recipient of the prestigious Snell Exhibition.

Tommy Loan - Undergraduate Project 2018-2019

Tommy investigated new methods for the surface modification of Zr MOFs with biomolecules for his MSci (hons) project.

Megan Craig - Undergraduate Project 2018-2019

Megan studied the synthesis of Zr MOF nanoparticles for her BSc (hons) project and will soon begin a Masters at the University of Strathclyde.

Lauren Rae - Undergraduate Project 2018-2019

Lauren worked on the modulated synthesis of Sc MOFs for her BSc (hons) project.

Oliver Pauli - IAESTE Trainee 2018

Oliver examined the metallation and catalytic properties of some novel Zr MOFs, and has returned to complete his undergraduate degree in Switzerland.

Dr Isabel Abánades Lázaro - PhD 2014-2018 / PDRA 2018

Isabel worked for four years developing our drug delivery work using Zr MOFs, publishing a number of papers. She left to take up a postdoctoral position with Carlos Martí-Gastaldo at Universitat de València.

Connor Wells - Undergraduate Project 2017-2018 / Summer Intern 2018

Connor examined the endo- and exocytosis of MOFs using a variety of techniques, and has taken up a PhD position with Gemma Louise Davies at UCL.

Josin Jose - Undergraduate Project 2017-2018

Josin worked on the characterisation of flexible scandium MOFs by crystallography, and is looking to continue his postgraduate studies.

Christopher Coyle - Undergraduate Project 2017-2018

Chris investigated the effetc of surface modification of Zr MOFs on incorporation into mebranes. After graduation, he will begin a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) at the University of Strathclyde.

Dr François-Joseph Yazigi - PhD 2013-2017

François spent four years with us working on the introduction of new types of functionality into MOFs, including hybrid polyoxometallates and new catalytic functionality. After obtaining his PhD, François returned to his native France, and now works in the editorial office of Frontiers in Chemistry.

Dr Ross Marshall - Undergraduate Project 2012-13 / PhD 2013-2017 / PDRA 2017

Ross was a founding member of the Forgan group, and spent over four years working on a variety of projects, publishing 16 papers to date. After graduation, obtained his Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from the University of Strathclyde and is now a Chemistry Teacher at the Glasgow Academy.

Emma Regincós Martí - Summer Internship 2017

Emma spent the summer of 2017 working on the self-assembly of lanthanide MOFs, and has gone on to begin a PhD with Prof Mark Murrie at the University of Glasgow.

Ciaran Lennon - Undergraduate Project 2016-2017

Ciaran worked on the modulation of Sc MOFs, and after gaining a MSc in Materials Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh he is now a PhD student in the EPSRC CDT in Intelligent Sensing and Measurement.

Sandra Abanades - Summer Internship 2016

Sandra joined the group for 4 weeks as part of her Spanish High School Diploma, and worked on mesoporous Zr MOFs.

Jake McGuire - Undergraduate Project 2015-2016 / Summer Internship 2016

Jake completed his degree after studying metal-binding MOFs, and has taken up a PhD position with Dr Stephen Sproules at the University of Glasgow.

Sabrina Sacca - Undergraduate Project 2015-2016

Sabrina completed her degree at the University of Glasgow after working on the PEGylation of UiO-66 MOFs.

Dr Yaroslav Kalinovskyy - Visiting Student 2015

Yarry, a PhD student with Dr Barry Blight, University of Kent, spent a month working on the synthesis of H-bond donor/acceptor MOFs.

Rachael Hannah - Summer Internship 2015

Rachael, a second year University of Glasgow undergraduate, spent two months working on the synthesis of alkyne-containing MOFs.

Christina Zitzer - Summer Internship 2015

Christina spent two months with the group working on the coordination chemistry of novel tridentate chelate ligands to be incoporated into MOFs. Christina returned to Germany in June 2015.

Joshua Kennedy - Undergraduate Project 2014-2015

Josh joined the Forgan group in September 2014 and studied the incorporation of functionalised linkers into MOFs for his final year project. He graduated from the University of Glasgow in June 2015.

Colin Murphie - Undergraduate Project 2013-2014

Colin joined the Forgan group in September 2013 and studied improving the synthesis of zirconium and hafnium MOFs as part of his final year project. He graduated from the University of Glasgow in June 2014 and now works for BrewDog.

Christina McGuire - Undergraduate Project 2013-2014

Christina joined the group in September 2013 and investigated the various methods for surface modification of MOFs. On graduating from the University of Glasgow in June 2014, she took up a position at the Łódź University of Technology, Poland, and she now works for Select Pharma in Stirling, Scotland.

Mona Struckmann - IAESTE Trainee 2013

Mona spent the summer of 2013 in the group as an IAESTE trainee, working on the functionalisation of MOFs through ligand design and post-synthetic modification, and has returned to her home institution in Oldenburg, Germany, for a PhD.

Aurore Bleine - Erasmus Student 2012-2013

Aurore joined the group in October 2012 from France as an Erasmus student, and studied the effect of introducing amide groups into pyridine-containing pillars in the synthesis of Zn(II) and Cd(II) based MOFs.

Home.  Contact: Prof Ross Forgan, B3-38, Joseph Black Building, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ, 01413305166, ross.forgan@glasgow.ac.uk.

Updated 18th March 2024.