Dr Raju Chambenahalli
Raju got his MSc in Chemistry from Tumkur University. Later, he obtained his PhD from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (Thiruvananthapuram, India) under the guidance of Dr Ajay Venugopal. His doctoral research was focused on cationic zinc hydrides for CO2 reduction. His current area of research is aimed on the design and synthesis of novel catalysts for block copolymers. Raju is an Indian Cricket Team enthusiast and a big supporter of RCB. In his spare time, he likes to read, explore places around him and play badminton.
Dr Max Hill
Originally from South East London, Max began his journey north to get an MChem from the University of York (2019) and then continued on up across the border to Glasgow for his PhD (2024). Here he worked on supramolecular dipeptide-based hydrogels under Professor Dave Adams, gaining experience in confocal microscopy and rheology. This included cavitation rheology, leading to a research visit to the Crosby group (USA) who pioneered this technique. Jumping ship from the soft materials realm to the world of polymers, Max joined the Garden group to investigate block copolymer compatibilisers. Outside of the lab, he enjoys bouldering, white water kayaking and canoe polo
PhD students
Jack Hughes
Jack, originally from Swansea, Wales, graduated from the University of Bath with an MChem in 2022. For his masters project, he joined the Jones group studying the zinc-catalysed chemical recycling of commodity polymers, for which he won the Infineum prize for best inorganic project. Interested in both catalysis and polymers, he joined the Garden group in 2022 to explore catalysis for block copolymer synthesis. In his spare time he enjoys cycling, live music, and reminding those around him that he is Welsh, not English.
Ben Grills
Ben graduated with an MChem from Cardiff University in 2022. He spent his third year on an industrial placement at PCI Pharma Services performing analytical testing on early-stage pharmaceutical products. For his Masters project Ben joined the Fallis group investigating substituted phthalocyanine complexes to photo-oxidise the chemical weapon mustard gas. His PhD project is a collaboration between the Garden and Bhawal groups looking at novel heterobimetallics to discover new coupling reactions. In his free time, Ben enjoys Taekwondo, climbing and other outdoor activities.
Yazhini Vinoth Kumar
Originally from India, Yazhini completed her triple-major bachelor’s degree in Applied Science from PSG College of Technology, Tamil Nadu. She then moved to the UK for her MSc in Materials Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, where she completed a 3-month research project with Dr Nicholle Bell working on assessing peatland heath on molecular level using teabags. Through her interest to conduct research with sustainable plastics, she secured an E4DTP funded PhD studentship with Dr. Santiago Romero-Vargas Castrillon and Dr. Jenni Garden. She will be working on elucidating the environmental impact of nanoplastics by investigating how it reacts with living organisms and identifying structure-property relations to bacterial cell toxicity. In her free time, Yazhini enjoys tending to her plants, trying new foods, and taking random walks around the city.
Ying Wang
Ying obtained her BSc and MSc degrees in Chemical Engineering and Technology from the Guangdong University of Technology. Her masters project focussed on the ring-opening polymerisation of aziridines and on multicomponent polymerisations. Out of her great interest in catalysis and degradable polymers, she joined the Garden group in 2022 funded by the China Scholarship Council. Her curent research focuses on the ring-opening polymerisation of cyclic monomers. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking and reading a good sci-fi novel.
Agathe Clément
Agathe graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MChem in 2022. Her final year project was during a placement with Agfa-Gevaert in Belgium, studying the biodegradation of bioplastics. She then joined the Garden group through the SOFI2 CDT in 2023. Her PhD focuses on developing block co-polymers for use as compatibilisers. In her spare time Agathe enjoys cooking, travelling, and taking care of plants.
Luke Dovey
Luke grew up in Blackpool and received his MChem from the University of Oxford, conducting research in the Aldridge group exploring bis(boryloxy) boranylium ions. Luke recently joined the Garden and Thomas groups at the University of Edinburgh (with AstraZeneca) with the goal of sustainable C-H activation using alkali metal bimetallic complexes. In his free time, he plays electric guitar in a band, makes cocktails and likes show off his juggling skills.
Anna Alphenaar
Anna completed her undergraduate degree in chemistry at Cornell University. She is currently working in the Al-Sid-Cheikh lab on a collaborative project involving the radiolabeling of nanoplastics for the purpose of environmental studies. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing guitar, and hiking.
Visiting students
Timo Hokke
Timo, originally from Utrecht, the Netherlands, completed his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Utrecht University in 2024. Throughout his Bachelor degree he researched electrochemical CO2 reduction and for his undergraduate thesis he explored the colloidal synthesis of trimetallic core-shell nanoparticles. For his Masters thesis, he went back to the group of Dr. Arnaud Thevenon where he researched the reactivity of macrocyclic, dinuclear zinc complexes with silylated lactams and CO2. As the final component of his Masters, Timo recently joined the Garden group at the University of Edinburgh as a visiting student with the goal to research bifunctional polymer initiation using low valent Mg complexes. In his free time Timo enjoys working out, cooking and exploring Edinburgh.