Dr Paul Davies

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham

Scientific Background

Research Interests

Our research activities are centred in molecular synthesis and catalysis and cover fundamental studies into reactivity and structure across to applied preparation of compounds. By developing new transformations and more general reactions we aim to offer more efficient and elegant synthetic routes, thus reducing the time, effort, cost and waste associated with the preparation of complex molecules. With catalytic methods being ideally suited to the task of imparting novel reactivity and high selectivity under mild conditions their use is integral to our work. Our interests span organic, organometallic, coordination, functional materials and medicinal chemistry.

A particular focus of our group concerns the use of precious metal catalysts, particularly those based on gold. We have a number of projects in this area ranging from exploring the unique properties of gold in chemical reactivity, to designing gold catalysts with enhanced properties to achieve more sustainable use of precious metal in molecular synthesis.

Research areas include:

Reaction discovery and development.
Catalyst design.
Mechanistic studies.
Structure-led investigation of polyfunctional organic materials.
Target-driven and diversity-oriented synthesis of biologically-relevant compounds.

Research Groups

SynCat Research

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Supportive, collaborative, approach oriented

Provision of Training

You will receive support and training from myself and more experienced PhD students/postdocs. I expect you to take responsibility for your development from the start, and to increase your independence over your PhD, and will provide the training and direction needed to help you to make the most of your development.

Progression Monitoring and Management

I’m very involved and want to discuss your results and plans regularly, with weekly updates and informal discussions. I do expect you to take ownership over your progression, and I am here to provide support and guidance to help you realise your potential.

Communication

We have weekly group meetings addressing research, literature, problem solving and group operation/safety. Formal and scheduled one-to-one meetings are held every month to look at progression and development, with more flexible meetings arranged as needed to discuss results, ideas, plans, and matters arising, on top of ad-hoc face-to-face discussions (for instance when I come to the lab). We have a group Slack, which we use for project, group and lab-related discussions and information sharing. Group members are very welcome to not look at this in the evenings and at the weekend.

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me:

In a group meeting

At least once per week

In year 1 of PhD study

At least once per fortnight

In year 2 of PhD study

At least once per month

In year 3 of PhD study

At least once per month

These meetings will be mainly of face to face, and I am usually contactable for an instant response (if required) on every working day.

Working Patterns

I expect students to manage their own time, but due to the nature of the research, practical work must be predominantly focussed within normal building operations so that other people are present for safety reasons and to best support each other as a group. For lab-based working, usual working hours (~9-5, Mon-Fri) are the norm with flexibility.

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 1 week’s notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Previous Projects (2024-25)

Primary supervisor for:

Artificial metalloenzyme design with late transition metal active sites

Previous Projects (2023-24)

Primary supervisor for:

Artificial metalloenzyme design with late transition metal active sites