The AJR group
Dr Katrina Madden
I obtained my undergraduate degree (MChem with Industrial Experience) from Durham University and spent my final year working as a synthetic chemist at AstraZeneca in R&D at Alderley Park, Cheshire. After this I returned to Durham to take up a PhD with Professor Andy Whiting, on a project entitled 'Synthesis of Polyene Natural Products.' The aim of this project was to synthesise a number of Xanthomonas pigments, along with relevant biological analogues, in order to understand more about them as a class of photoprotective compounds. The project also focussed on building up long chain polyene intermediates using palladium cross-coupling methodology. I joined the Russell group in January 2017 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate, funded by OxStem Neuro and co-supervised by Professor Steve Davies, to work towards the synthesis of small molecules that promote neuroregeneration.