2019 cohort
Francisco Alvarez Del Castillo Manzanos
Francisco graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico with a BSc in physics and a MSc in Materials Science. There, he used pulsed laser photoacoustics to study the thermal annealing of sapphire implanted with gold nanoparticles, as well as the laser induced fragmentation of gold microparticles to synthesise colloidal suspensions. He has joined the BCFN to further his studies into nanotechnology. Outside of his PhD project, in which he is developing new overload sensors to be embedded in fibre reinforced composites, he’s also interested in optics, acoustics and the interesting places where they both meet.
Project title: Embedded sensors for fibre reinforced polymer composite applications
Primary supervisor: Anthony Croxford
Liia Buhhanevits
Liia studied MChem Chemistry with Industrial Experience at the University of Edinburgh, where she carried out her Master’s project in the area of electrochemistry, researching the modification of electrode surfaces with self-assembled monolayers. She also worked at Syngenta in Jealott’s Hill, Bracknell as part of the Formulation Technology group for her industrial placement, where her work was focused on the characterisation of a new class of non-ionic surfactants. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Functional Nanomaterials at the University of Bristol, working on the industrially sponsored project (Saab), which aims to develop carbon-based biomimetic fibre sensors for integration in aerospace composites.
Project title: Carbon-based biomimetic fibre sensors for integration in aerospace composites.
Primary supervisor: Neil Fox
Michael Canning
Michael graduated from the University of Bristol in September 2019 with an Msci in chemistry. During his final year project, he worked with Professor Dek Woolfson on design of a de novo heterotrimeric coiled coil protein. Following this he rejoined the University of Bristol through the functional nanomaterials CDT. Currently he is working within the Bedford group alongside Anaphite on the development of photocatalysts supported on graphene. Outside of the lab my interests include figure skating, musical theatre and drag.
Project title: Development of novel metal oxide graphene constructs for photocatalysis within organic synthesis.
Primary supervisor: Robin Bedford
Rui Cheng
Project title: Why do gels collapse? Unifying macroscopic and microscopic behaviour
Primary supervisor: Paddy Royall
Liam Cullingford
Liam graduated from the University of Bath with a BSc in Natural Sciences in 2017. In his final year at Bath he majored in physics with a final year project that modelled the electronic structure of different polymorphs of organic crystals. He went on to join the BCFN MSc programme after a year working at Bristol-based start-up Interactive Scientific. Whilst there, he managed projects designing virtual reality software for academics and industry researchers in pharmaceutical drug discovery. Since joining the BCFN he has worked on multiple projects as part of the Diamond Lab in the School of Chemistry aiming to produce thermionic devices and isotopically pure diamond. His PhD project involves using hydrogen-infused diamond as a stopping material to improve the imaging capability of neutron scintillators at very high energy. Outside of his studies, Liam enjoys surfing, reading science-fiction, running and drawing.
Project title: TBC
Primary supervisor: Neil Fox
Antonio Minutti López Sierra
My name is Antonio Minutti López Sierra and I am from Puebla, Mexico. I got my BSc in Nanotechnology and Molecular Engineering at the Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP). I graduated CUM LAUDE in 2018. I did my bachelor thesis research on magnetite nanoparticles functionalised with curcumin and I evaluated their cytotoxic activity in cultures of breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231). During my bachelor thesis, I worked along the Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Oriente IMSS (a research centre), where I performed the cytotoxic evaluation using breast cancer cells. I was one of the founding members of the first student chapter of the American Chemical Society in Mexico and Latin America in 2015. Recently, I got a CONACYT scholarship to study a PhD in Functional Nanomaterials at the University of Bristol. Right now I am working in Race Lab with an industrial partnership with QinetiQ.
Project title: (Bio)synthesis of ceramic-polymer hybrids for innovative device manufacture.
Primary supervisor: Paul Race
- Thomas Taylor
Project title: The rational design of artificial membrane-binding proteins for advanced cell therapies
Primary supervisor: Adam Perriman
Ximena Vasto Anzaldo
Ximena graduated with an BSc. (Hons) in Genomic Biotechnology at Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL) in 2018; where she earned an Acknowledgement for Outstanding Thesis due to her research on on the physical and chemical characterization, antimicrobial and antibiofilm mechanism of a novel yeast exopolysaccharide. From 2013-2018 she worked in the Centre for Research in Biotechnology and Nanotoxicology (CIBYN-UANL) as a member of the Nanobiotechnology Research Group. Within this group she published 3 research articles on the development of new antimicrobial and bio-film inhibition agents against drug resistant strains. Currently, she is a CONACYT scholar, working jointly with Cytoseek in the development of preclinical models for the assessment of immunotherapies.
Project title: 3D Tumour Spheroid Models for Adoptive Cell Therapies
Primary supervisor: Adam Perriman