Nanocolloquium Seminar: “Using Stereochemistry to Control Materials Properties,” Prof. Andrew Dove (University of Birmingham), UNAM Conference Hall, 4PM May 11 (EN)

Dear Colleagues and Students,

You are cordially invited to UNAM Nanocolloquium seminars focusing on advancements in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The seminars bring us the most recent developments in these exciting fields. The final talk of the 2017-2018 Spring Term will be presented by Professor Andrew Dove*

Title: Using stereochemistry to control materials properties
Date: May 11, 2018 (Friday)
Time: 16:00**
Place: UNAM Conference Hall

ABSTRACT –
The development of novel degradable biomaterials is largely restricted by the paucity of well-defined functional degradable polymers with which to access materials with useful properties. As such, one focus of our research is to investigate methodologies that can be used to access new materials that are able to be specifically tailored to a range of applications. To this end, we are interested in designing and synthesizing materials in which many of the starting materials are derived from sustainable resources using novel catalyst systems and applying metal-free ‘click’ chemistries.

Our synthetic approaches allow for the development of materials with properties that are hard to obtain by other methods. We are focussed on understanding and controlling the properties of our materials on all length scales. From the development of new materials with precisely tailored macroscopic mechanical and degradative properties as well as biological interactions, to the 3-dimensional control of structure at the micron-scale as well as the controlled nanoscale assembly to provide novel materials, hydrogels (see picture), scaffolds and nanoparticles for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and drug/gene delivery applications.

This presentation will focus on recent work that has been directed towards the synthesis of polymers with controlled stereochemistry and how this affects their self-assembly into nanoparticles and bulk mechanical properties.

About the Speaker:
Andrew Dove graduated from the University of York with an MChem degree in 1999. His subsequent PhD studies were conducted under the supervision of Professor Vernon C. Gibson FRS at Imperial College, London, and focused on metal catalysed co-ordination insertion polymerisation. Andrew undertook post-doctoral research first under the guidance of Professor Robert M. Waymouth at Stanford University, California and then as a CIPMA post-doctoral fellow at IBM, San Jose, California under the supervision of Dr James L. Hedrick and Professor Robert M. Waymouth. Andrew Dove returned to the UK to take up a RCUK Fellowship in Nanotechnology in September 2005 before being appointed as an Assistant Professor in September 2006 and subsequently as an Associate Professor in September 2009 before being appointed as a Professor in June 2014. In September 2017, Andrew joined the School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham as Professor of Chemistry.
* University of Birmingham
** Refreshment will be served at 15:40