Julie Watts

Contact

• workRoom B13 Cripps South nmRC
  University Park
  Nottingham
  NG7 2RD
  UK
• work01157486337
• Julie.Watts1@nottingham.ac.uk

Biography

Julie is based in the nano and micro scale Research Centre, working as a research fellow within the school of Pharmacy. Her research interests include the development and optimisation of cryogenic sample preparation and associated imaging and spectroscopy / spectrometry, and correlation between techniques. Her expertise includes transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, light / fluorescence microscopy and hybrid SIMS. Other interests include biological sample preparation for imaging, in situ synthesis of novel hollow nano carbon structures and their characterisation, extracellular vesicles for diagnosis and drug delivery,and elucidating structural changes in kidney ultrastructure in diabetes. Previous experience includes in vivo magnetic resonance imaging, including functional MRI, in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy, silver nanoparticle sysnthesis and analytical chemistry (IR, NMR, mass spectrometry, titration).

Expertise Summary

Sample preparation, including cryogenic sample preparation of biological and hydrated materials.

Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy.

Confocal microscopy, Hybrid SIMS.

Correlative imaging and spectrometry under cryogenic conditions.

Teaching Summary

Training and teaching cryo sample preparation rechniques - including high pressure freezing, scanning electron microsopy, transmission electron microscopy.

Research Summary

Sample preparation for and analysis using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, correlative light microscopy and hybrid ToF SIMS with OrbitrapTM experiments. Extracellular… read more

Selected Publications

• AMIN, SHARAD, CAMERON, JAMIE M., WATTS, JULIE A., WALSH, DARREN A., SANS, VICTOR and NEWTON, GRAHAM N., 2019. Effects of chain length on the size, stability, and electronic structure of redox-active organic-inorganic hybrid polyoxometalate micelles MOLECULAR SYSTEMS DESIGN & ENGINEERING. 4(5), 995-999
• WATTS, J.A., FAY, M.W., RANCE, G.A., BROWN, P.D. and KHLOBYSTOV, A.N., 2018. Formation of hollow carbon nanoshells from thiol stabilised silver nanoparticles via heat treatment Carbon. 139, 538-544
• WATTS, J. A., FAY, M. W., KHLOBYSTOV, A. N. and BROWN, P. D., 2017. Effect of TEM grid deposition method on the dispersion of thiol-stabilised silver nanoparticles In: Electron Microscopy & Analysis Group Conference 2017, J. Phys: Conf. Ser. 902. 012030
• HAMPSON E, CAMERON JM, AMIN S, KYO J, WATTS JA, OSHIO H and NEWTON GN, 2019. Asymmetric Hybrid Polyoxometalates: A Platform for Multifunctional Redox-Active Nanomaterials. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English). 58(50), 18281-18285

• View all publications

Current Research

Sample preparation for and analysis using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, correlative light microscopy and hybrid ToF SIMS with Orbitrap^TM experiments. Extracellular vesicles, liposomes and gelator systems for drug delivery and diagnosis.

Past Research

Use of Lanthanide shift reagents in nuclear magnetic resonance for isomeric separation and identification. Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy to quantify gamma aminobutyric acid in vivo in the human brain. Synthesis and characterisation of silver nanoparticles and formation of novel hollow nano carbon structures in situ, inside a transmission electron microscope,

• HEBA KHETAB, ANDREW L HOOK, STEFANIE KERN, JULIE A WATTS, SONALI SINGH, DARRYL JACKSON, LUISA MARINEZ-POMARES, PAUL WILLIAMS and MORGAN R ALEXANDER, 2023. Identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exopolysaccharide Psl in biofilms using 3D OrbiSIMS Biointerphases. 18(032007),
• ANNA KOTOWSKA and JUNTING ZHANG, 2023. Toward Comprehensive Analysis of the 3D Chemistry of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms analytical chemistry.
• COLIC INES, MASSARO, GIULIA, GEARD, AMY, WATTS, JULIE A, BENEDIKT, ANNE, WILLIAMS, GARETH R and RAHIM, AHAD A., 2023. Extracellular Vesicles for Delivery of AAV Vectors MOLECULAR THERAPY meeting abstract. 31(4), 1
• BUNTY SHARMA, AKHIL JAIN, LLUISA PEREZ-GARCIA, JULIE A WATTS, FRANKIE JAMES RAWSON and GANGA RAM CHAUDHARY, 2022. Metallocatanionic vesicles mediated enhanced singlet oxygen generation and photodynamic therapy of cancer cells Journal of Material Chemistry B.
• ROWAN WATSON, MORWENNA OLDFIELD, JACK A BRYANT, LILY RIORDAN, HARRIET J HILL, JULIE A WATTS, MORGAN R ALEXANDER, MICHAEL J COX, ZANIA STAMATAKI, DAVID J SCURR and FELICITY DE COGAN, 2022. Efcacy of antimicrobial and anti‑viral coated air flters Efficacy of antimicrobial and anti‑viral coated air filters to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens pathogens Nature Sci Rep.. 9(12), 1
• JAMES D. GILLIS, WILLIAM V. HOLT, LINDA M. PENFOLD, KATHRYN J. WOAD, JAMES K. GRAHAM, JULIE A. WATTS, DAVID S. GARDNER and LISA YON, 2022. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy demonstrates that ice morphology is not associated with the post-thaw survival of domestic boar (Sus domesticus) spermatozoa: A comparison of directional and conventional freezing methods Cryobiology.
• JACQUELINE HICKS, YUN-CHIAO YAO, SYDNEY BARBE, NIGEL NEATE, JULIE A. WATTS, ALEKSANDR NOY and FRANKIE J. RAWSON, 2021. Electric Field Induced Biomimetic Transmembrane Electron Transport using Carbon Nanotube Porins as Bipolar Electrodes Small.
• CAMERON WEBB, NEIL FORBES, CARLA B. ROCES, GIULIA ANDERLUZZI, GUSTAVO LOU, SURAJ ABRAHAM, LOGAN INGALLS, KEARA MARSHALL, TIMOTHY J. LEAVER, JULIE A. WATTS, JONATHAN W. AYLOTT and YVONNE PERRIE, 2020. Using microfluidics for scalable manufacturing of nanomedicines from bench to GMP: A case study using protein-loaded liposomes International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 582, 119266
• CARLA B. ROCES, EMILY CHARLOTTE PORT, NIKOLAOS N. DASKALAKIS, JULIE A. WATTS, JONATHAN W. AYLOTT, GAVIN W. HALBERT and YVONNE PERRIE, 2020. Rapid scale-up and production of active-loaded PEGylated liposomes International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 586, 11956
• LEI LEI, MING LI, DAVID M. GRANT, SONGWANG YANG, YU YU, JULIE A. WATTS and DAVID B. AMABILINO, 2020. Morphology and Defect Control of Metal Halide Perovskite Films for High-Performance Optoelectronics Chemistry of Materials. (In Press.)
• ELIZABETH HAMPSON, JAMIE M. CAMERON, JULIE A. WATTS and GRAHAM N. NEWTON, 2020. Transition metal decorated soft nanomaterials through modular self-assembly of an asymmetric hybrid polyoxometalate Chemical Communications.
• GILLIS, JAMES, KATHERYN J WOAD, JULIE A WATTS, HOLT, WILLIAM V, PENFOLD, LINDA and YON, LISA, 2020. Comparison of directional and conventional cryopreservation methods for domestic boar (Sus domesticus) sperm At: volume 97
• AMIN, SHARAD, CAMERON, JAMIE M., WATTS, JULIE A., WALSH, DARREN A., SANS, VICTOR and NEWTON, GRAHAM N., 2019. Effects of chain length on the size, stability, and electronic structure of redox-active organic-inorganic hybrid polyoxometalate micelles MOLECULAR SYSTEMS DESIGN & ENGINEERING. 4(5), 995-999
• HAMPSON E, CAMERON JM, AMIN S, KYO J, WATTS JA, OSHIO H and NEWTON GN, 2019. Asymmetric Hybrid Polyoxometalates: A Platform for Multifunctional Redox-Active Nanomaterials. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English). 58(50), 18281-18285
• WATTS, J.A., FAY, M.W., RANCE, G.A., BROWN, P.D. and KHLOBYSTOV, A.N., 2018. Formation of hollow carbon nanoshells from thiol stabilised silver nanoparticles via heat treatment Carbon. 139, 538-544
• WATTS, J. A., FAY, M. W., KHLOBYSTOV, A. N. and BROWN, P. D., 2017. Effect of TEM grid deposition method on the dispersion of thiol-stabilised silver nanoparticles In: Electron Microscopy & Analysis Group Conference 2017, J. Phys: Conf. Ser. 902. 012030