Group

Pike Group. Summer 2025

Current Group

Post-doctoral Research Associates

Callum Rosenberg 2024-

Callum is an EPSRC Postdoctoral Pathways Fellow and has an interest in dye-sensitised Ti-oxo clusters. Callum studied at the University of Birmingham with the Champness Group for his PhD. His research in the Pike Group includes proton coupled electron transfer in Ce and Ti oxo clusters and studying photochemistry via single crystal top singel crystal transformations. Callum runs the Synthesis & Catalysis Journal Club at Warwick.

PhD Students

Ashwani Chikara 2022-	Eniola Sokalu 2022-
Ashwani is a Eutopia-cotutelle PhD Student collaborating with Prof Frank De proft and Prof Frederik Tielens in Vrije Universiteit Brussel. His project focusses on optimising Ti-oxo cluster based materials for photocatalysis	Eniola is using electrodeposition to prepare materials for photoelectrocatalysis, including catalysts that can initiate isotope separation through selective hydrogen evolution processes. Eniola is co-supervised by Prof. K. Brinkert (Uni Bremen)
Jack Beall 2023-	Ali Safavi 2023-
Jack is investigating the synthesis, electronic structure and photochemistry of Fe(III)-oxo clusters. Studying how the role of size effects in solar absorbing materials.	Ali is completing his PhD in Physics with Prof. Nick Hine. His project investigates the electronic structure of Fe-oxo clusters using advanced computational methods.
Alex Webster-Hirst 2024-	Katie Sharrock 2024-
Alex is studying the formation of metal-organic-frameworks. Alex is also interested in studying chemical changes in MOFs using advances diffraction techniques.	Katie is investigating the photoreactivity of Ti-oxo clusters with small molecules and exploring their use for photocatalytic processes.
Nampi Punyo 2025-
Nampi is a Chancellors International Scholar studying mixed-metal clusters including doped Ce-oxo clusters for catalysis.

Master's Students

Amina Humayun 2024-2025

Amina is studying the synthesis of bimetallic Sn-oxo clusters, exploring new routes to materials for touch screen devices.

Harry Nunes 2025-2026

Harry is studying the size dependent electronic properties of Cu-oxo clusters and CuO nanoparticles

Previous Group Members

PDRA

Dr. Stephen Brown (2024/25)

Dr. Ananthu Rajan (2022/23)

PhD students

Dr. Stephen Brown (2020-2024)

Dr. Tom Barnes (2020-2024) --> Quantum Science Ltd.

Dr. Haijiao Lu (2017-19) visiting from Tianjin University –> Postdoc Australian National University --> DECRA fellowship University of Queensland

Seb, Josh, Rebecca and Haijiao 2018

MChem & MSc students

Nicky Chan (2023/24)

Alexandria Hands (2022/2023) --> PhD, Raval Group University of Liverpool

Emanuele Vismara (2021/22) --> Marketing for new battery technologies, Green Energy Storage

Ryan Andrews (2021/22) --> Software Development, Civil Service

Joanna Mantaloufa (2021) --> Research Assistant, Macpherson Group, Warwick --> AzkoNobel

Ajanthan Panchalingam (2021)

Alex Veale (2020-21) —> Research & Development, SunChemical

Kinran Lau (2018-19) –> PhD with IMPRS-SurMat at the University of Duisburg-Essen, supervised by Prof. Stephan Barcikowski and Prof. Martin Muhler

Jack Payne (2018-2019) --> Renewable Connections (solar and battery energy storage)

Rebecca Murray-Watson (2017-18) —> PhD Imperial College London

Joshua Du Plooy (2017-18) —> Strategy Consultant, Deloitte

Research Day Out 2025 in Bath with the Scott and Phanopoulos Groups

Wine tasting in Mainz at the FMOCS 2025 conference

Research Day Out 2024 with the Yeung Group in Birmingham.

Celebrating Nicky finishing his degree and Stephen's JACS paper

Christmas with the Greenhalgh and Brinkert groups

Research day with the Jupp Group

Jack presents at the young FMOCS 2025 conference in Mainz.

Tom braves the steps to the top of Warwick's 1.0 GHz SSNMR spectrometer

Master's Project Stories

Ryan Andrews joined the group in 2021/2022 with a project investigating the mechanism of photoredox reactivity of Ti-oxo clusters. Ryan synthesised new clusters and used them to understand photochemical pathways. His research contributed to a research article which was submitted to a leading journal soon after his project finished.

Alex Veale completed his MChem project in 2021. Alex studied the synthesis of brand new Ti-oxo clusters, using new techniques to functionalise the surface of these clusters whilst retaining the core cluster structure. Alex's new compounds undergo photochemical excitation and following Alex's project the group are now studying the EPR spectroscopy of these intriguing compounds.

Rebecca Murray-Watson studied organocopper chemistry as precursors for Cu based nanomaterials. During Rebecca's project she uncovered the crystal structure of an organocopper coordination polymer, a structure which had eluded full structural characterisation for over 50 years! Rebecca's work is published in organometallics.