Contact Details

Zoë Ayres

zjayres at gmail dot com

Department of Chemistry
University of Warwick
Gibbet Hill Road
Coventry
CV4 7AL

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Current Research

I am currently in the first year of my PhD at the University of Warwick as a member of Warwick Electrochemisty and Interfaces Group.

My research involves the 'Development of Diamond-based Electrochemical Sensors', initially being involved in the development and implementation of the newly patented technique Electrochemical X-ray Fluorescence (EC-XRF) for the detection and quantitation of heavy metals.

This research involves the utilisation of polycrystalline boron doped diamond (pBDD) as the working electrode material (courtesy of Element Six Ltd). This is advantageous as pBDD exhibits a wider potential window and lower capacitive currents than typical electrode materials such as gold and platinum.

In the Past

I studied for the AS:MIT (Analytical Science: Methods and Intrumental techniques) MSc degree at the University of Warwick, which provided me with the opportunity to further my knowledge of analytical techniques and regularly engage in laboratory-based work. I was involved in a 6-month research project in collaboration with AstraZeneca:

Development of Diamond Based Electrochemical Sensors and Combined Spectroscopy Sensors for the Sensitive Detection of Analytes in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Processes

Supervisors: Prof. Julie V. Macpherson and Drs. Andy Poulson, Andy Ray & Tony Bristow

I was also involved in a group research project to investigate culinary spices. This required researching analytical tests used in the food industry and taking them from methods to implementation within a short timescale. ISO standards were used as well as adapting methods from research papers. HPLC, ATR-FTIR, UV-Vis and ICP-MS were among the analytical methods used.

Previously, I studied my Bachelors's degree (BSc) at Nottingham Trent University in Forensic Science. My undergraduate project involved the analysis of Iron Age bones from Finn Cop Hillfort in Derbyshire for heavy metals, including Pb, Sr, Zn and Mn using ICP-OES. Conclusions about the daily lives of the Fin Cop individuals, such as dietary habits, could be drawn, with results validated against STRM.

Publications