Current job: Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Dr. Petra van Koningsbruggen at the Stratingh Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (2008-present)
Previous job: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Otago, New Zealand (2006 and 2007)
PhD: with Drs. Bernie Creaven, Maureen Walsh and Malachy McCann at the Centre for Pharmaceutical Research and Development based in the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland (2002-2005)
I applied to Sally for work on the hope that there may be some funding available for what was to be my first postdoctoral position in late 2005. She encouraged my application for the position even before I had actually met her. We talked a bit on the phone right before Christmas and I received the early Christmas present of a job offer. After that I was on my way to New Zealand.
Her research group was very welcoming as was Sally. Her help with finding a place to live and general information about moving to NZ was gratefully appreciated in my early stages of moving here and my first few weeks on the job in Dunedin. I fitted into the group very easily because of this. The group itself was also incredibly welcoming and in my first weekend I was taken away on a trip to see some of the sights along the beautiful Catlins. From my time here I have made some life long friends within the group and the department as a whole and I will always feel like a part of this department.
Over the past two years Sally and I have worked together really well to produce a number of interesting papers over a variety of topics on what has been thoroughly enjoyable chemistry. I have become a bit of a jack of all trades within the group attempting everything from heterocyclic, macrocyclic, acyclic, lanthanide, transition metal and spin crossover chemistry. I have learnt so much within the areas of analysis and synthesis that I previously had no exposure too, like X-ray crystallography and Schlenck line synthesis.
Sally as a mentor/supervisor/boss/co-worker/friend has been open and available at any point during my time here for discussions or queries on chemistry or pretty much any topic and is always keen for a coffee and a catch up. The research group also has a great support system with students and research staff looking after one another, from undergraduate to postdoc, helping in all aspects of the lab.
New Zealand, Dunedin and Sally have been really good to me over the past two years. I have never once regretted my move here and I hope in the future to come back and visit.
