Tag Archives: entrepreneurship

From code to molecules: The future of chemical synthesis

In June, after I finish my PhD, I will be joining Chemify, a new startup based in Glasgow that aims to make chemical synthesis universally accessible, reproducible and fully automated using AI and robotics. After previously talking about “Why you should care about startups as a researcher” and a quick guide on “Commercialising your research: Where to start?” on this blog, I have now joined a science-based startup fresh out of university myself.

Chemify is a spinout from the University of Glasgow originating from the group of Prof. Lee Cronin. The core of the technology is the chemical programming language χDL (pronounced “chi DL”) that, in combination with a natural language processing AI that reads and understands chemical synthesis procedures, can be used to plan and autonomously executed chemical reactions on robotic hardware. The Cronin group has also already build the modular robotic hardware needed to carry out almost any chemical reaction, the “Chemputer”. Due to the flexibility of both the Chemputer and the χDL language, Chemify has already shown that the applications go way beyond simple synthesis and can be applied to drug formulation, the discovery of new materials or the optimisation of reaction conditions.

Armed with this transformational software and hardware, Chemify is now fully operational and is hiring exceptional talent into their labs in Glasgow. I am excited to see how smart, AI-driven automation techniques like Chemify will change how small scale chemical synthesis and chemical discovery more broadly is done in the future. I’m super excited to be part of the journey.

Commercialising your research: Where to start?

If you look at some of the biggest technology companies in the world, from Google and Facebook to hardware companies like Dell or even biotech unicorns like Oxford’s own Oxford Nanopore, all of them started on university campuses. If you are a researcher interested in finding out how to make the first steps to commercialise your research here is a quick guide:

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Why you should care about startups as a researcher

I was recently awarded the EIT Health Translational Fellowship, which aims to fund DPhil projects with the goal of commercializing the research and addressing the funding gap between research and seed funding. In order to win, I had to deliver a short 5 minute startup pitch in front of a panel of investors and scientific experts to convince them that my DPhil project has impact as well as commercial viability. Besides the £5000 price, the fellowship included a week-long training course on how to improve your pitch, address pain points in your business strategy etc. I found the whole experience to be incredibly rewarding and the skills I picked up very important, even as a researcher. As a summary, this is why I think you should care about the startup world as a researcher.

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