Time: 12:30 - 1:30pm Speaker: Dr Ruth Webster, University of BathVenue: Room 2.40, Bancroft Building
In this Chemistry and Biochemistry seminar, Dr Ruth Webster from University of Bath will deliver a talk on 'Iron Catalysis: From hydrofunctionalization to hydrogenation'.
Following her MSci degree at the University of Strathclyde, Dr Webster carried out her PhD under the supervision of Professor Robin Bedford at the University of Bristol. This research, supported by GSK focussed on the use of Rh and Pd for directing group mediated C-H functionalisation chemistry, principally for the selective formation of aryl-aryl and aryl-halide bonds.
In 2011 she was awarded a Government of Canada Commonwealth Research Fellowship to undertake postdoctoral research with Professor Laurel Schafer at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. This research involved the use of early transition metal, primarily Ti complexes for the synthesis of biopolymers. In 2012 Dr Webster was awarded a Bath Prize Fellowship to commence independent research in the field of catalysis with subsequent appointment to Lecturer at University of Bath in 2014.
Dr Webster's research group focuses on catalysis with first row transition metals, with a focus on iron catalyst design for the synthesis of bonds between main-group elements. The group is particularly interested in trying to understand mechanism and in order to do so we use a varity of in situ and in-line techniques.
This seminar is open to all.