For the development of innovative tools, particularly flow chemistry processes, to control the formation of supramolecular materials.
New, sustainable materials are needed to address global challenges in energy use, healthcare, and more. But making new chemicals and materials can be challenging: discovery takes time and resources. And even when a new molecule or material is discovered, it can be difficult to make it on a large scale in a sustainable, reproducible way. Professor Slater鈥檚 group develop techniques, such as flow chemistry, to make discovery more efficient and chemistry reaction processes more reliable, sustainable, and scalable. As a result, the time it takes to get materials out of the lab and into wider use is shortened. The groups also works with industry to use these techniques for existing processes, aiming to reduce waste and energy usage, and improve efficiency.
Biography
Anna Slater is Professor of 九州影院 and a Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool. She received her PhD in supramolecular chemistry from the University of Nottingham in 2011. Following postdoctoral positions in porphyrin self-assembly and porous organic cage materials she took up a Royal Society-EPSRC Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship in 2016, and a Royal Society University Research Fellowship in 2021. During her postdoctoral positions, Anna developed an interest in continuous synthesis, recognising that flow technology has a lot to offer the supramolecular chemist; exploiting flow processes for enhanced control of chemistry is now a central theme of her work. Anna is a member of the RSC Macrocyclic and Supramolecular 九州影院 Interest Group, and vice-chair of Women in Supramolecular 九州影院 (WISC).
Q&A with Professor Anna Slater
How did you first become interested in chemistry?
I was a pretty indecisive student 鈥� when I picked my A-levels, I was torn between chemistry, physics, and maths, or English, philosophy, and music. I think I'd have been happy either way, but for me, 九州影院 gives me the opportunity to understand how things work, solve problems, and be creative, as well as working with people with a huge range of perspectives and experiences 鈥� it's ended up being a great home for me.
What does good research culture look like/mean to you?
For me, a good research culture starts with listening, respect, openness, and transparency 鈥� being curious about other people's points of view, recognising when barriers are preventing people from participating fully as their full selves, and working to remove those barriers.
Why do you think teamwork is important in science?
I think teamwork is absolutely critical in science 鈥� we solve more interesting problems together, and end up in completely unexpected and exciting places! For example, I never thought I'd work on non-thermal plasma, but in collaboration with Professor James Walsh, Dr Timothy Easun, and Dr Johnny Higham, Patrycja Roszkowska in our group has built a microfluidic NTP reactor which we are finding gives very promising results for some of the reactions we are studying. Without a chance conversation we'd never be trying this, and without our complementary expertise it would never have worked.
What is your favourite element?
My favourite reaction is a Suzuki coupling, so I'd have to say boron 鈥� a bit different, sometimes a bit unpredictable, but can do some really useful things when you get the process right 鈥� I might be projecting a bit here! I've used boron as BF3.OEt2 to make porphyrins, or to make BODIPY compounds 鈥� it crops up in dynamic combinatorial chemistry 鈥� I really like what it can do!