CheM62 Research Network meeting

This marked a milestone in the development of the Network, as Liverpool ChiroChem is a company founded by two former research students, Jianjun Wu and Paul Colbon, who were trained in the early days of cross company networking that led to the current CheM62 Network. Research students and early career researchers gain an enhanced level of training through the experience of working in an environment where ideas, results and knowledge are shared freely. Six monthly Network Meetings provide opportunities for them to present their results and get feedback to help them develop their capabilities and career plans.

The July meeting was attended by 60 researchers from Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Huddersfield universities and from companies both large and small: AstraZeneca, Syngenta, Yprotech, LCC, Unilever, RedAg and Cadence Pharma. The morning session was a workshop on catalysis in industry with 4 expert contributors comparing the challenges of employing catalysis in the pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and consumer products industries. Then it was the turn of the research students to present their work, firstly through flash poster presentations, followed by six short oral presentations in the afternoon session. The meeting culminated with a lively panel discussion focused on providing students with advice on how to develop a post PhD career.