Postdocs
Vipin Gopala Krishnan
Vipin obtained his BSc and MSc degrees in Chemistry from Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam, India, before pursuing a PhD in Chemical Sciences at the CSIR–National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, India, under the supervision of Dr E. Bhoje Gowd. His doctoral research focused on understanding structure–morphology–property relationships in semicrystalline polymer-based aerogels. During this time, he also gained experience in the flame-retardant modification of polymers and the development of 2D nanocomposites based on thermoplastics. Following his PhD, Vipin joined the CNRS–Institut Charles Sadron in Strasbourg, France, as a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Dr. Wiebke Drenckhan. There, he worked on the development of reactive polymer foams for thermal insulation in close collaboration with SOPREMA France. In the Garden Group, he is working on the synthesis and characterisation of block copolymers. Outside the lab, Vipin enjoys playing cricket, watching movies, and cooking.
PhD students
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.
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
Lara Hoffmann
Lara got her BSc in Nanoscience from the University of Tübingen conducting research about the upcycling of neodymium magnets as catalysts for the polymerization of isoprene. As a part of her MSc in Nanoscience she is visiting the Garden group to research direct ester-to-thioester bond editing within polymer backbones. In her free time she enjoys reading, spending a lot of time outside and taking care of her plants.
Madeleine Stewart
Madeleine completed her Honours in 2022 at the Australian National University with Prof Tony Hill and Dr Jamie Hicks and started her PhD with Dr Annie Colebatch in 2024 as a Westpac Scholar. Her PhD research is focussed on the use of 3,5-bis(pyridyl)pyrazole for the synthesis of bimetallics for photochemical and electrochemical catalysis. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, various creative projects and being outdoors.