Andrew Surman

See you all next week.

Cats and elephants

Reports of a scientific meeting run by the Royal Society on how we don't really understand the primary structure of an important biopolymer seem like something you'd expect to learn about with black and white photos.

This was 2024...

#chemsky

I hadn't realised: Zotero now runs on Android.
(extremely handy for finding papers while ranting)

#chemsky

www.zotero.org

Hackathon time! Can you build an ML model for sigmatropic rearrangements of allylcatechols in flow?

Teams of <=4; total prizes £2000; time limit 09 Jan. 🧪 #Chemsky

Competition Link: www.kaggle.com/competitions...
Example Notebook Link: www.kaggle.com/code/josepab...

In case anyone is interested/finding this later, I've found no positive comments on LabArchives for synthetic chemistry: here or elsewhere. Most other comments have not used language I would reproduce here (though biologists/molecular biologists seem to have a different view).

Our next vMASC seminar will be from:

• Muhammad Ghufran Rafique (McGill University)

• Chebrolu Pulla Rao (SRM University AP)

Date 📆 and time 🕰️: Thursday 25th September 2025 at 09:30 (UK time)

Register at mascgroup.co.uk/vmasc-4/ to attend!

#RSC_MASC
#vMASC

🗣️ Only a few weeks left to submit your oral abstract for the RSC CNN Annual Symposium 2026!

Don't miss this event to share cutting-edge research and network with nanoscience community 🔬

📅 Deadline: 30 Sept 2025
📍 12–13 Jan, Burlington House, London
🔗 rsc.org/events/detail/81692

#chemsky #nanosky

Join us at The Open University, Milton Keynes on the 15th and 16th of December 2025 for this year’s RSC Macrocylic and Supramolecular Chemistry meeting!

Registration and abstract submission are now open (key deadlines below)

More on mascgroup.co.uk/masc-2025-ho...

#RSC_MASC
#RSC_MASC_2025

(1/2)

Think that goes for all lab book "platforms"!

Or, indeed, examples of best practice of ELNs in Synthetic Chemistry in general?

Or... advice on what to avoid?!

Does anyone on here have any positive experiences of using LabArchive for chemistry? Or, even better, resources? #chemsky

2025 MASC Prize Calls MASC: The Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry Interest Group 2025 MASC Prize Calls 2025 RSC MASC Group PhD Thesis Award given in memory of John Fossey: The RSC MASC Group P…

The 2025 MASC Group Awards are all open for nominations, with the following deadlines:

🏆 MASC Group Supramolecular Chemistry Award. 📆 5th Sep

🏆 Bob Hay Award Lectureship. 📆 5th Sep

🏆 MASC Group PhD Thesis Award. 📆 7th Nov

🏆 MASC/WISC EDIA Award. 📆 5th Sep

More on mascgroup.co.uk/2025-masc-pr...

Sorry, that's @jacs.acspublications.org

This was a great team effort, begun by Ivan, as an MSci student, under the watchful eye of Ivonne. Ivonne finished it off, with contributions from PhD students Esmé and Ed, and summer student Hailey (Ngoc Minh Huong). (3/3)

We use arrayed probes as a new approach to analysing materials surfaces. Here, that means graphene oxide, as a 'quick and dirty' QC approach: the supply is extremely variable, so a rapid way to assess what you have is crucial. (2/3)

Interactional Fingerprints Offer Accessible, Rapid, and Qualitative Characterization of Graphene Oxide Graphene-based materials (GBMs), including graphene oxide and graphene, are atomically thin materials with great promise, but efforts to realize their potential have been hampered by inconsistent mate...

!New paper!

We're delighted to see this finally out @J_A_C_S!

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

#Chemistry #Supramol #Supramolecular (1/3)

International Symposium on Foldamers We are delighted to announce that 2025 International Symposium on Foldamers will be held from the 1st – 3rd September and is hosted by King's College London, UK in the Great Hall on the Strand....

We still have several ECR bursaries for the Foldamers meeting (see foldamers2025.com to register) which pays for conference fees, travel and board! Applicants need to be from or based in the UK but there is still a student rate for those who are not. #chemistry #conference #foldamers #supramolecular

‪
📣 Join us for two days of inspiring talks, and networking with leaders in the field of nanoscience at the RSC Chemical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Annual Symposium 🧪✨

📍 London, UK
📅 12–13 January 2026
📝 Abstract deadlines:
— Oral: 30 Sept 2025
— Poster: 31 Oct 2025

@rsc.org
#chemsky #nanosky

A group of people posing for a photo in a lecture theatre

It has been a fantastic #ECRMASC25! Thanks to the Langton group for organising, and to all the attendees for making it a memorable and inspiring day!
#RSC_MASC

Have you voted in the RSC elections? (I forgot, just got reminded; searched "RSC vote" to dig up the email)

Thank you anonymous colleagues!

(For some nice reviewer reports, which don't pull the punches, but which are positive and constructive.)

ECR MASC 2025 We are pleased to announce that the Early Career Researcher Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry (ECR MASC) Meeting 2025 will be held at the University of Oxford, UK on Wednesday 2nd of Ju…

We are excited to announce that registration for the ECR MASC Meeting 2025 is now open. We look forward to receiving your abstract submission and seeing you in Oxford, on the 2nd of July 2025!
Further information is available on our website:
mascgroup.co.uk/ecr-masc-2025/

Our next seminar will be from Giulia Lavarda (TU Eindhoven) and Simon Webb (UoManchester) speaking Thursday 27th March 14:30 (UK). Register at mascgroup.co.uk/vmasc-4/ to attend - We are migrating mailing lists, so signup is essential!

🚨Out now🚨
Why aren't supramolecular scaffolds commonplace in asymmetric catalysis? Check out my perspective in the EuChemS Young Investigator Special Issue in SynLett looking at the major advantages and remaining challenges!

doi.org/10.1055/a-2513-2141

#chemsky #womeninSTEM

Does anyone know the history of there being no RSC local section for London? (Seems like a story...)

- Normal for most London unis.
- "Just getting by" is subjective, but I'd be happy with double.
- Academic pay is low in the UK c.f. jobs requiring similar levels of training.
(London is expensive; if academics don't have family money/multiple incomes in household, this can present a barrier)

FWIW, more jobs advertised at KCL, for Profs, Readers, Lecturers & Senior Lecturers for "AI in Science", including for Chemistry. #chemjobs (I'm not invovled in hiring)

www.nature.com/naturecareer...

www.nature.com/naturecareer...

www.nature.com/naturecareer...

#MASC2025 will be held at the Open University, 15th-16th December 2025, so keep the dates free!

As more info comes out (this'll be later in the year), it'll be posted at mascgroup.co.uk/masc-2025/.

Happy to chat to nice potential colleagues, once they've gone through the bumf, though. (and the UG lab has a nice view of the Thames)