Contact
Biography
Hear me on the 1st November 2018 broadcast of In Our Time, discussing Free Radicals with Melvin Bragg.
Dr Anna Croft is a member of the Sustainable Process Technologies (SPT) Research Group.
Anna obtained her BSc degree, majoring in Chemistry and Biochemistry, from the University of Adelaide, Australia. After completing an honours degree in Organic Chemistry at the same institution, she went on to complete her PhD at the Australian National University looking at the processes governing formation of free radicals in proteins.
She subsequently completed a European Union-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, examining the chemistry of coenzyme B12-dependent enzymes, and was then offered a full academic post at the University of Wales Bangor, where she established her own research group. She was promoted to Senior Lecturer there in 2011.
In 2013 she joined the Bioprocessing and Biorenewables group at the University of Nottingham, where her team focusses on understanding how biological processes can be used as templates to improve chemical reactivity/intermolecular structuring and, similarly, how an understanding of chemical reactivity can be used to direct biomolecule reactions and structuring for specific outputs (such as production of high-value chemicals and feedstocks from biorenewables, and 3-D printing applications).
For further information also see:
Academia.edu site
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Expertise Summary
Research within the Croft team is highly interdisciplinary, using a combination of both theoretical and experimental techniques to understand biological interactions and reaction mechanisms. Our main research theme is Intermolecular Interactions, examining their implications in both binding effects and on reaction pathways in biological systems, particularly those systems utilising free radicals, and interactions between species related to 'green chemistry', such as ionic liquids.
Recent Publications
SCHINDL, ALEXANDRA, HAGEN, MATTHEW L., MUZAMMAL, SHAFAQ, GUNASEKERA, HENADIRA A. D. and CROFT, ANNA K., 2019. Proteins in Ionic Liquids: Reactions, Applications, and Futures FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY. 7, SUESS, CHRISTIAN J., MARTINS, FLORIANE L., CROFT, ANNA K. and JAGER, CHRISTOF M., 2019. Radical Stabilization Energies for Enzyme Engineering: Tackling the Substrate Scope of the Radical Enzyme QueE JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL INFORMATION AND MODELING. 59(12), 5111-5125 JESSICA BAME, CASPER HOECK, MATTHEW J. CARRINGTON, CRAIG P. BUTTS, CHRISTOF M. JAEGER and ANNA K. CROFT, 2018. Improved NOE fitting for Flexible Molecules Based on Molecular Mechanics Data - a case study with S-Adenosylmethionine Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. 20, 7523-7531
If you are looking to join the group, either as a Postdoctoral Researcher, or as a talented PhD student we will be happy to welcome you! The group has a range of nationalities represented and share a common interest in doing exciting interdisciplinary science.
Current PhD projects include:
Further opportunities are also available. Please email with a CV and cover letter if you are interested.
If you are an EU/UK student, you could also be eligible for a full stipend (see below). Please be aware that applications for the 2017/2018 academic year have now closed. Applicants will only now be considered for 2018 start unless you have already secured funding.
If you are looking for a scholarship to support your studies, the university offers a great number of scholarships to talented applicants. If you are a UK or EU national, then you can also apply for a range of specific, funded programmes that accommodate the research themes of the group through:
Potential postdoctoral fellows without current funding can apply for an Anne McLaren or Nottingham Research Fellowship. We also provide support for those applying for Marie Skłodowska Curie fellowships.Previous postdoctoral positions advertised (now closed):
Future Research
I welcome enquiries from potential PhD candidates from Home, EU and international countries who are interested in the following research areas: radicals, free radicals, radical enzymes, ionic liquids, intermolecular interactions, reactivity, chemical mechanisms, enzymology, mycolic acids, phenolics, biotransformations, bioprocessing, data science, computational chemistry, molecular dynamics, quantum mechanics.