Previous and Current International Members

Virginia Montiel-Palma

photo of Virginia Montiel-Palma

Virginia Montiel-Palma was born in Mexico City and carried out a BSc in Chemistry at the School of Chemistry of the National University (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) between 1992 and 1996. Virginia’s final BSc research project “Reactivity of Thiametallacycles of Platinum (II) with Triethylphosphine” was supervised by Professor Juventino García.

Virgina then joined the group of Professor Robin Perutz in the Department of Chemistry at the University of York to carry out a PhD which she completed in 2000. Her doctoral thesis “Photochemistry of Group 8 Metal Dihydrides: a Matrix Isolation and Laser Flash Photolysis Study” aimed at the combination of matrix isolation and laser flash photolysis with solution spectroscopic methods to the elucidation of the identity of organometallic reaction intermediates.

On leaving York, Virginia became a postdoctoral research fellow in the group of Dr Sylviane Sabo-Etienne at the Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Toulouse, France. Here she worked on the generation of novel sigma borane complexes.

In 2002, Virginia went back to Mexico where she spent over two years working as a research scientist in Mexico’s main paint industry. While there she collaborated on the development of organometallic drying agents and colour systems.

In 2004, Virginia joined the Faculty of the Centro de Investigaciones Químicas at the University of Morelos (UAEM) where she is now a full time lecturer. Her research interests concentrate on the interrelationship between main group and transition metal chemistry, currently developing methodologies towards the synthesis of new complexes, especially those containing ligands and metals in unusual coordination modes (non classical sigma or agostic complexes).

Sreedevi Naryanaswarmy

Sreedevi Naryanaswarmy meeting Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffman

Meeting a Nobel Laureate is the dream of every student, but meeting 23 Nobel Laureates and being able to interact with them personally is a once in a life time opportunity. Sreedevi Naryanaswarmy (a PhD student in the Green Chemistry Group) had such an opportunity when she was chosen to attend the 2006 annual meeting of science Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany. Since 1951 Nobel Laureates in chemistry, physics and physiology/medicine have convened annually to have open and informal meetings with students and young researchers and the 2006 event was devoted to chemistry. Only 530 students were selected from over 11,000 applications so competition is very fierce.

Sreedevi writes "When I met the Nobel Laureates I felt that they were ordinary people, humble and down to earth, in spite of their success in their respective fields. They provided us with an insight on not just science, but other larger issues. Each day starts with lectures by individual Laureates and the afternoon sessions are dedicated to open informal discussions. I always had my own perspective of life, that science should not just be about bench experiments; but also able to provide benefits for the people who need them most. Listening to several lectures reinforced these beliefs. I particularly liked conversing with Professor Aaron Chiechanover (Nobel Prize winner 2004) and Roald Hoffman as they spoke of societal issues such as global warming and disinterest among scientists to focus on society rather than just experiments. Another major highlight was energy resource issues; the use of solar panels was highly encouraged. The background beauty of The Alps and Lake Constance makes Lindau a perfect venue for this unique meeting.

The main messages that I took home with me are that passion, constant enthusiasm and motivation drive people and that science gives scientists a direct opportunity to serve people and if used wisely science can make a difference to people's lives. So I encourage all those aspirants to apply for the next meeting and cherish this amazing experience."

Nathalie Huther

photo of Nathalie Huther

"I first discovered the University of York in 2000 during a 4-month European exchange (Erasmus) while completing my undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the University of Strasbourg in France. I enjoyed my time there so much that I then decided to stay there to study towards a PhD in Chemistry. The beauty of the city and the campus made York a very attractive place to study. I also felt that the quality of research and teaching would be a very good preparation towards a successful career in industry. And it was: since leaving York in 2003, I had various roles as a synthetic chemist in the UK working for both small and large organisations including Ultrafine in Manchester (now SAFC, part of Sigmaaldrich), Excelsyn Molecular Development in North Wales and AstraZeneca in Alderley Park. In January 2008, I finally left the lab for a more senior role as a product manager for Biotage in Cardiff, using my experience in industry to provide new tools for chemical synthesis, in particular resin bound reagents and work-up solutions."

Buqing Huang

In 2004, Buqing Huang arrived in Professor Dave Smith's nanochemistry research group from Shanghai, China. Over the next year, he carried out an MSc program of research in the field of nanostructured gels. His research ultimately led to a high impact publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society - the leading international chemistry journal. Bu also presented his results at an international conference in Canada. On finishing his MSc, Bu went on to enrol in a PhD program at the University of Oxford where he has continued his research into nanotechnology.