Current Group

Originally from Devon, Harry graduated in 2018 with First Class BA MSc degrees in Natural Sciences, specialising in Chemistry, from Girton College, University of Cambridge. After graduating, he spent a year working at Charles River Laboratories as a Medicinal Chemist, focusing on the synthesis and development of novel drug candidates. Harry is currently enrolled in the SBM CDT DPhil programme with rotations in the Burton and Ed Anderson groups. Outside the lab, Harry is a keen footballer but also enjoys running cycling and hiking. When inside he enjoys cooking and subsequently eating.

Diana is the recipient of a Magdalen College Graduate Scholarship. Having grown up in a small Romanian town, Diana completed her MSci in Chemistry at Imperial College London. Her final year project, under the supervision of Prof Chris Braddock, explored some novel Ru-catalysed olefin metathesis processes. Previously, Diana undertook a summer placement in Prof Don Craig’s group in 2019. She joined the Burton group through the SBM CDT (2020 cohort) and is now exploring aspects of oxonium ion chemistry. In her spare time, Diana enjoys travelling, ice-skating, and most importantly…good coffee!

Simone is originally from Marsciano, Italy; he completed his MChem at the University of St Andrews in Scotland working on the total synthesis of double-C glycosides under the supervision of Prof. Rebecca Goss. He also carried out an industrial placement at GSK Stevenage during 2020. Outside the lab, Simone enjoys reading and swimming.  

Dima is the recipient of a Hill Foundation Scholarship. Originally from a small town in Russia, he graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University with First Class MSc in Chemistry degree. During his final year project, Dima worked on the synthesis of new Z-selective ruthenium metathesis catalysts with unsymmetrical fluorinated NHC ligands. After graduation, he took part in a project on using C-H activation for the design of CF3-containing amino acids with different heterocyclic cores. Apart from chemistry, Dima enjoys travelling, reading, taking photographs and spending time with friends.

Originally from Suzhou, China, Zechen obtained his First Class Bachelor Degree in Applied Chemistry from University of Reading. He completed his final year project under the supervision of Dr Chris D. Smith, focusing on the synthesis of indole derivatives by flow-photochemical heterocyclic metamorphosis. In Oxford, Zechen became a member of St Hugh's College and joined the Burton group, where he is exploring complex oxonium ion chemistry. Outside the lab, Zechen is a big fan of tennis and photography, you can find him either on tennis courts or walking on the street with his camera

Originally from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, Jack has spent the last 3 years studying towards his MChem at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. For his Part II project, he is working on a total synthesis of the proteasome inhibitor Omuralide. Outside the lab, Jack enjoys rugby, and can usually be found either on the pitch or watching with friends.