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Molecular Organisation and Assembly in Cells

Dan Simpson

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Welcome to my ePortfolio page! Here you can learn about my current areas of research at the University of Warwick, my previous academic highlights, and snippets of my hobbies outside of education.

I am close to completing my PhD studies, which have invloved the investigation of the use of inexpensive, self-assembling metallodrugs (original publication here) as antibacterial agents, as well as their underlying mechanism of action. My supervisors are Prof. Peter Scott in Chemistry and Prof. David Roper in Life Sciences (Pete keeps a useful blog of his research here).
I also work in collaboration with Warwick Medical School's Microbiology and Infection division and the Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Earlier in my project, I screened compounds synthesised by my colleagues in the Scott group; Rebecca Kaner and Alan Faulkner, using facilities in the Roper laboratory. This has allowed me to contribute to their publications. Through producing a literature review detailing the past, current and future outlook of antimicrobial metallodrugs, Prof. Scott and I have published some of my secondary research in an academic textbook.

PhD publications:

  1. Chapter 7: Antimicrobial Metallodrugs, in: Inorganic and Organometallic Transition Metal Complexes with Biological Molecules and Living Cells, D. H. Simpson & P. Scott, Elsevier 2017, edited by Kenneth Kam Wing Lo. (link)
  2. A. D. Faulkner, R. A. Kaner, Q. M. A. Abdallah, G. J. Clarkson, D. J. Fox, P. Gurnani, S. E. Howson, R. M. Phillips, D. I. Roper, D. H. Simpson and P. Scott Nat. Chem., 2014 (6), 797–803. (link)
  3. R. A. Kaner, S. A. Allison, A. D. Faulkner, D. H. Simpson, N. Waterfield, R. M. Phillips, D. I. Roper, S. L. Shepherd and P. Scott Chem. Sci., 2016, (7), 951-958. (link)

Academic Record

2012-13: MOAC MSc: Mathematical Biology & Biophysical Chemistry (graduated Jan 2014).
Research projects:

  • Biophysical Chemistry, Supervisor: Peter Scott (Chemistry)
    "Asymmetric Bi-metallic Complexes: Synthesis, Selectivity and Biological Interactions".
  • Theoretical Sciences, Supervisor: Rebecca Notman (Chemistry, CSC)
    "Molecular Modelling of Novel Asymmetric Bimetallic Systems in Model Cell Membranes".
  • Life Sciences, Supervisor: Corinne Smith (Life Sciences)
    "Towards Controlled Cage Assembly: Interactions of β2-Adaptin & Clathrin Light Chains with the Assembly of Clathrin Cages".

2007-11: MChem (hons): Chemistry (Upper 2nd class), University of Warwick.

Final year Project, Supervior: Prof. Peter Scott:
"Stereoselectivity in Self-Assembly of tris-phenylethaniminopyridine complexes [M(NN')3]2+ ".

MChem publications:

  1. S. E. Howson, L. E. N. Allan, N. P. Chmel, G. J. Clarkson, R. J. Deeth, A. D. Faulkner, D. H. Simpson and P. Scott Dalton Trans., 2011 (40), 10416-33. (link)
  2. S. E. Howson, N. P. Chmel, G. J. Clarkson, R. J. Deeth, D. H. Simpson and P. Scott Dalton Trans., 2012 (41), 4477-83. (link)
  3. "Williamson etherification of a bromomethylfluorobenzene and phenylglycinol", Synthetic pages 674, July 2013. (link)

Additional Information

Having achieved an MChem in 2011, initially I moved back home to Swansea.
During my year away from academia, I worked (voluntary at first) as a research assistant for the Centre for NanoHealth at my local University within the reproductive biology & epigenetics group of Prof. Steve Conlan. This allowed me to immerse myself in the field of cell biology experience research from a more commercial viewpoint. Specifically, I worked with an external partner (Porvair Filteration Group) on the optimisation of a commercially available kit for a high-throughput chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, marketed as ChromatrapTM. I contributed to the development of an automated, high-throughput version of a commercially available assay for chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), compatible with downstream quantitative PCR. This work became integral to a new kit in Porvair’s catalogue.

My research interests include: transition metal chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, analytical chemistry and molecular biology.

Away from academia I have been a keen sportsman; I was once a very good swimmer (unfortunately I'm not tall enough to swim professionally) and I have also played football, field hockey and netball at various points.

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Daniel H Simpson
MOAC DTC (Senate House)
University of Warwick
Coventry
CV4 7AL

Tel. 024 765 75808
Tel. 024 765 72622
d dot h dot simpson at warwick dot ac dot uk

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