PhD Student Erin Boddie Runner-Up at Prestigious Agrochemical Conference
Erin Boddie, a third-year PhD student from The Bower Research Group, has garnered well-deserved recognition by securing the runner-up poster prize at the SCI-Syngenta "Innovations in Crop Protection towards Sustainable Agriculture" conference. The event, held in London on 18th May, showcased cutting-edge advancements in organic chemistry, machine learning, and AI, revolutionizing discovery programs in agrochemical research.
Erin's poster, titled 'Iridium-Catalysed (Hetero)aryl C-H Functionalisation via N to C Alkyl Transfer,' impressed attendees and highlighted her groundbreaking work in the realm of organic chemistry for agrochemicals and crop protection science. The conference, a convergence of industry experts and distinguished academics, served as a platform for exchanging ideas and exploring novel solutions in the field.
Erin has this to say about her prize poster and PhD:
'I was delighted to receive the prize for my PhD project poster which has been the culmination of a great deal of hard work. My PhD so far has been spent researching Iridium-catalysed C-H activation methodologies under the supervision of Regius Professor John Bower in the newly renovated Regius Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry, which opened in 2020 in the Department of Chemistry. Research in the Bower Group is driven by the discovery and development of fundamentally new carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bond forming processes - in particular, we target methods that are operationally simple, atom economical and selective. I greatly enjoyed engaging in discussion with industry professionals and academics at the conference about how the work we do into new synthetic methodologies in our group could be applied to help solve current challenges in the agrochemical industry. At the event speakers from companies such as Syngenta, BASF, CreInSol and Bayer spoke about how new developments in the agrochemical industry are helping to achieve sustainability targets and it was extremely interesting to hear about the latest state-of-the-art technologies and products in the field. I am grateful to Professor John Bower for funding my attendance at the event, the EPSRC for a studentship and thank you to the SCI, Syngenta and other industry partners for organisation of the event.'
Erin Boddie's success at the conference demonstrates her dedication and expertise in her field. It's a significant recognition for her research and a testament to the quality of work conducted by The Bower Research Group. Congratulations to Erin Boddie for her outstanding achievement!