Daniel Lester

I am manager of an analytical research facility mostly based in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Warwick. My speciality is GPC/SEC where I have advanced engineering training on these systems. I have become a university expert on polymer analysis, being contracted by external companies to perform analysis using a variety of analytical techniques (often via Warwick Scientific Services). Predominantly these are GPC/SEC, thermal analysis (TGA/DSC/DMA), FT-IR and GC/GCMS, where example contracts include reverse engineering, determination of impurities, routine analysis, quality control, method development and everything in between! Using my industrial contacts I build on existing relationships and forge new ones to provide high quality analytical results. This includes consulting with clients and providing detailed reports written to the correct level for the audience. I use these same skills to provide training for external GPCs users (both onsite and offsite) and internally to post-graduate and undergraduate post-graduate students. From my time as a student I also have skills in inorganic and physical chemistry. I began with an MChem in organometallics, investigating the activation of phosphorous small molecules using titanocenes, where I became skilled in synthetic air-sensitive chemistry. This led to an industrially funded Ph.D in nano-materials. Working towards an industrial goal, I was at the interface of several contemporary, relevant research areas. I synthesised nano-materials from polymer precursors for use as catalysts in green chemistry. This led to extensive knowledge in inorganic materials, nano-materials, fabrication of nano-materials and all common (and some not so) analytical methods, namely SEM-EDX, powder XRD, UV-Vis and laser ablation ICP. I also have experience in all common analytical techniques, such as NMR and mass spectrometry. All-in-all, I am a very competent and experienced analytical chemist!