People

Marc A. Little

Marc completed his PhD in supramolecular chemistry with Prof. Michaele Hardie at the University of Leeds. He then moved to the University of Liverpool to work with Prof. Andrew Cooper FRS in the area of materials chemistry, where he was promoted to a senior research post. At Liverpool, Marc developed new approaches to design and discover molecular crystals, including using computation and automation.

Marc has a broad range of expertise in supramolecular materials chemistry, lab automation, and computational chemistry and is keen to apply these to the design of new crystalline materials. A key focus of these interests is to develop new materials for sustainable applications and help transform the chemical sciences into the digital age.

Outside of work, Marc enjoys spending time with his family and he has two young daughters, which doesn’t leave much time for other activities, but he also enjoys history and architecture, walking/hiking, good food, and travelling.

Current Members

Diána Zele

Diana completed an MChem degree at the University of Aberdeen in 2020, carrying out a final-year project at the University of Freiburg. The project introduced her to biochemical research and strengthened her interest in organic chemistry.

Following graduation, Diana moved to Hungary to further develop expertise in the field, working at X-Chem Zrt. for three years. During this time, she gained extensive experience in early-stage drug discovery. She also spent time in Montreal, where she collaborated with colleagues and gained valuable insight into diverse research cultures across the globe.

Diana is now a first-year PhD student, focusing on the development of automated flow chemistry methods for the synthesis of porous organic molecules.

Outside the lab, she enjoys gardening, calisthenics, and travelling.

Extended Group Members

Fiona Gordon

Fiona is a second year PhD student focussing on automating the Vortex Fluidic Device for organic transformations with interests in flow chemistry and machine learning. Her primary supervisor is Prof. Scott Dalgarno. Previously, Fiona graduated from the University of Strathclyde with an MChem in Chemistry with Drug Discovery in 2024. This included a year in industry within the process development team at Veranova, Edinburgh. During the final year of her undergrad, Fiona worked in Prof. Nick Tomkinson’s group to investigate alternatives for fluorine in small molecule chemistry. Outside of the lab, she enjoys dog walks, running and travelling.

Past Members

Pei Xie

Pei was a fifth-year chemistry student at Heriot-Watt University, co-supervised by Prof. Scott Dalgarno focused on the development of ‘Supramolecular Hosts for Capturing Toxic Environmental Pollutants.’