What is your research field / your key areas of interest?
Chemical biology; medicinal chemistry; drug discovery.
Why SCI? How did you first get involved and why would you encourage your peers to join?
I first became involved with SCI after receiving one of their generous scholarships to support my PhD. Since then I have thoroughly enjoyed engaging with their technical interest groups, as well as sharing my own research at various SCI events. I would encourage all my colleagues get more involved with SCI to benefit from everything they do to unite academia and industry.
SCI aims to be ‘where science meets business’. What is the potential commercial application of your research?
My research focuses on the use of reactive fragment libraries for the discovery of novel ligands and tools. These libraries are comprised of fragments bearing electrophilic groups for the targeting of amino acid residues in the vicinity of protein pockets. These can be utilised for rapid and robust assessments of disease-associated proteins, and ultimately, provide starting points for the development of new medicines.
What do you hope to gain from your involvement with SCI?
Through my involvement with SCI, I wish to continue meeting like-minded individuals from a range of disciplines, spanning from academia to industry. I hope that this will enable me to expand my professional network, find new opportunities to collaborate with peers, and provide me with an appreciation for the wider applications of chemistry. I am also keen to promote and contribute to SCI events relevant to my research field.
Arron Aatkar
GSK / University of Strathclyde – Chemical Biology (GSK)
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