Dr Adam Michalchuk MChem, PhD

School of Chemistry
Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry

Contact details

Email: a.a.l.michalchuk@bham.ac.uk
Twitter: @amichalchuk

Address: School of Chemistry
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Adam is an Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry in the School of Chemistry.

Adam leads an interdisciplinary research team with the aim of understanding how to control chemical reactivity (usually in the solid state) using mechanical force. This includes using and developing atomistic simulation tools to understand mechanochemical reactivity, and a focus on studying mechanochemistry experimentally using international synchrotron and neutron facilities.

Further details can be found on the group website

Qualifications

PhD Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, 2019
MChem in Materials Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, 2014

Biography

Originally from Canada’s west coast, Adam moved to Scotland where he obtained his MChem (1^st Class, Materials Chemistry) from the University of Edinburgh in 2014.

Adam then pursued his PhD research split between the University of Edinburgh, UK (with Prof Carole Morrison and Prof Colin Pulham) and Novosibirsk State University, Russia (with Prof Elena Boldyreva), completing his studies in late 2018. At the University of Edinburgh his research combined neutron spectroscopy and ab initio simulation to study the structural dynamics of molecular solids, complemented by experimental solid-state research at Novosibirsk State University.

Following this, Adam moved to Berlin, Germany as a postdoctoral researcher with Dr Franziska Emmerling at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). Here his research focused on developing synchrotron-based diffraction and spectroscopic methods to study solid-state reactions in situ. Adam was simultaneously a guest scientist at the Free University Berlin in the Department of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry hosted by Prof Beate Paulus. He was promoted to Senior Scientist at the BAM in 2021.

In October 2022 Adam moved to the University of Birmingham as an Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry.

Research

Our research focuses on understanding the atomistic origins of mechanically driven transformations in and between solids.

Our research consists of active programmes in both computational and experimental solid-state chemistry, spanning a broad range of topics including:

Lattice dynamics
High pressure chemistry
Mechanochemical processes
Energetic materials
Synchrotron and neutron methods for in situ investigations

Other activities

Associate Editor for Solid State Chemistry, Frontiers in Chemistry

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Speight, IR, Ardila-Fierro, KJ, Hernández, JG, Emmerling, F, Michalchuk, AAL, García, F, Colacino, E & Mack, J 2025, 'Ball milling for mechanochemical reactions', Nature Reviews Methods Primers, vol. 5, no. 1, 29. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-025-00401-2

Pandey, N, Tiwari, A, Kundu, S, Mondal, SK, Michalchuk, AAL, Kumari, N, Roy, P, Higashi, K, Jain, A & Ghosh, A 2025, 'Elucidating the Mechanistic Shortcomings of Acetazolamide Cocrystals in Harnessing the Anticipated Solubility and Permeability Advantages', Crystal Growth and Design. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.5c00244

Hemingway, JM, Quayle, HM, Byrne, C, Pulham, CR, Mondal, S, Michalchuk, AAL & Morrison, CA 2025, 'Predicting impact sensitivities for an extended set of energetic materials via the vibrational up-pumping model: molecular-based structure-property relationships identified', Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5CP00852B

Linberg, K, Sander, PC, Emmerling, F & Michalchuk, AAL 2024, 'In situ investigation of controlled polymorphism in mechanochemistry at elevated temperature†', RSC Mechanochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3mr00019b

Casali, L, Carta, M, Michalchuk, AAL, Delogu, F & Emmerling, F 2024, 'Kinetics of the mechanically induced ibuprofen-nicotinamide co-crystal formation by in-situ X-ray diffraction', Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CP01457J

Michalchuk, AAL 2024, 'On the Physical Processes of Mechanochemically Induced Transformations in Molecular Solids', Chemical Communications. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CC04062G

Christopher, I, Liu, X, Lloyd, HJ, Bull, CL, Funnell, NP, Portius, P, Michalchuk, AAL, Kennedy, SR, Pulham, CR & Morrison, C 2024, 'Tuning energetic properties through co-crystallisation – a high-pressure experimental and computational study of nitrotriazolone: 4,4’-bipyridine', Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CP01595A

Bhattacharya, B, Michalchuk, AAL, Silbernagl, D, Yasuda, N, Feiler, T, Sturm, H & Emmerling, F 2023, 'An atomistic mechanism for elasto-plastic bending in molecular crystals', Chemical Science, vol. 14, no. 13, pp. 3441-3450. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SC06470G

Atceken, N, Hemingway, J, Bull, CL, Liu, X, Michalchuk, AAL, Konar, S, Morrison, C & Pulham, CR 2023, 'High-pressure Structural Studies and Pressure-induced Sensitisation of 3,4,5-trinitro-1H-pyrazole', Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3CP04526A

Chapter

Emmerling, F & Michalchuk, AA 2025, Monitoring in situ Mechanochemical Reactions. in Reference Module in Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering. 1st edn, Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-15742-4.00126-5

Comment/debate

Belenguer, AM & Michalchuk, AAL 2023, 'Grinding the way to enantiopurification', Chem, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 1076-1079. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2023.04.018

Editorial

Michalchuk, AAL & Friščić, T 2025, 'Moving Mechanochemistry Forward: Mechanochemistry and the non-covalent bond', RSC Mechanochemistry, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 333-335. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5MR90011E

Michalchuk, AAL & Delogu, F 2024, 'Fundamental basis of mechanochemical reactivity', Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, vol. 26, no. 43, pp. 27245-27247. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CP90153C

Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary

Michalchuk, AAL & Boldyreva, EV 2024, Resonant Acoustic Mixing: Applications to Organic and Materials Synthesis. in Reference Module in Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering. 1st edn, Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-15742-4.00121-6

Review article

Senna, M & Michalchuk, AAL 2025, 'Reassessing mechanochemical processes in polyatomic systems for smart fabrication of nanocomposites', RSC Mechanochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MR00084F

View all publications in research portal