Entrepreneurship in the evolving landscape of the chemical industry

Dr Jane Jin is a Senior Licensing and Ventures Manager at Oxford University Innovation, focusing on commercialising the outcomes of Oxford University's research through licensing and creating spin-out companies. She managed the formation of four spin-out companies since 2018 including recently a rapid CoVID-19 diagnosis social venture called Oxsed Ltd in 2020. Jane started her career at an innovation management consultancy at Cambridge Science Park where she helped global consumer and industrial companies such as P&G to identify and evaluate technologies and products for new market opportunities. Jane graduated from University of Leeds as the Top Medicinal Chemistry Graduate of the year 2006 and completed her PhD in Chemistry at the University of Cambridge in 2010.

After completing his PhD in 2007, Ross joined AstraZeneca as a Senior Analytical Chemist to develop techniques to improve reaction understanding in process R&D. Ross’ analytical expertise and entrepreneurial mindset was pivotal to the founding of CatSci in 2011 and as CEO led the company’s transition from catalyst screening to become the award-winning chemical process research and development partner that it is today. CatSci has achieved a CAGR of >50% over the last five years and now has a talented team of nearly 50 staff. Most recently, Ross was shortlisted as a finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Cardiff Business Awards 2020.

Metallogen are the 2020 SCI’s Bright SCIdea Challenge winners for their solution to dual problem of shortages of heavy metals used in huge quantity by the electronics sector, and the subsequent contamination of farmland close to mining sites in the developing world. Metallogen’s titanium oxide nanoparticle assists the natural process of phytoremediation to isolate these extracted rare metals to be sold on the market. Currently, Rafael and John are studying at the University of Oxford for postgraduate degrees in Particle Physics and Materials Science respectively

Steve studied for his BSc (1988) and D. Phil (1991) at the University of Sussex. His D.Phil, sponsored by BP, focussed on novel block copolymers for dialysis membranes. After leaving Sussex, Steve spent 16 years in UK industry including Cookson, Courtaulds and Unilever at the Port Sunlight Laboratories. He is the cofounder and Vice Chair of the British Society for Nanomedicine and has led the foundation of three spinout companies, IOTA NanoSolutions Ltd, Hydra Polymers Ltd and Tandem Nano Ltd. He joined the University of Liverpool in September 2007 and his current research interests include the utilisation of different nanotechnologies in healthcare applications.