Two internationally renowned polymer chemists, Professor Andrew Dove and Professor Rachel O'Reilly, will be joining the University of Birmingham's School of Chemistry in early 2018, bringing their great depth of expertise in the area of polymer chemistry, biomaterials and materials science to the School.
Both academics are currently based at the University of Warwick. Professor Dove heads up the Dove research group, whose work focuses on the synthesis and application of degradable biomaterials and sustainable polymers used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Professor O'Reilly's research group focuses on the design, synthesis and application of uniquely designed polymers, which are important to medical, materials and nanoscience applications.
The appointment of Professor Dove and Professor O'Reilly will strengthen the School of Chemistry's world-leading research expertise. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF), over 95% of the School's research outputs were rated world-leading or internationally-excellent.
The Dove group focus on the synthesis and application of degradable biomaterials and sustainable polymers. This work includes: Organocatalyzed polymerisation; click chemistry for polymer synthesis and modification; application of sustainable/green chemistries and building blocks for polymer synthesis; as well as the fabrication, understanding and control over properties of new biomaterials on all length scales from macroscopic mechanical and biological properties to 3-dimensional control of structure at the micron level as well as the controlled nanoscale assembly. In turn, these studies are focussed in the development of novel hydrogels, elastomers, scaffolds and nanoparticles for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and drug/gene delivery applications. The group has a particular interest in the application of stereochemistry in materials science.
The O’Reilly group are interested in the design, synthesis and application of uniquely derived polymeric materials; where control over architecture, functionality and reactivity are central to their application in the field of nanotechnology. our research is highly interdisciplinary and bridges the interface between synthetic, polymer and catalysis chemistry, allowing for the development of materials that are of importance in medical, materials and nanoscience applications.
