Fraser Armstrong is Professor of Chemistry and a Fellow of St John’s College. His interests are in biological chemistry, bioenergetics and in the mechanisms and exploitation of enzymes related to energy production. He has received a number of awards including the European Award for Biological Inorganic Chemistry, the Carbon Trust Innovation Award, the Max Planck Award for Frontiers in Biological Chemistry and the Royal Society of Chemistry Award for Interdisciplinary Chemistry. He travels widely giving invited lectures on topics including catalysis, bioenergetics and renewable energy. He is co-editor of Energy … beyond oil which focuses on alternative energy-generating technologies.

Outside of the office, Fraser can be found with his group at the Lamb & Flag Thursday nights in term time.

Fraser has been elected Fellow of the Royal Society.

I completed my PhD in Chemistry at Cardiff University in 2010 investigating various aspects of dihydrofolate reductase catalysis. My interests involve relating enzyme structure and function, with a particular focus on how we can explore and exploit differences in environmental optima. Since joining forces with Fraser my work has mainly focused on the differences of oxygen tolerant and oxygen sensitive hydrogenases and how we can take advantage of conserved differences in their amino acid compositions. The ultimate aim is to use site directed mutagenesis to learn about the mechanistics of dealing with oxygen attack, whist still having a functional enzyme.

I am mainly working on understanding the electron-transfer relay in O₂-tolerant hydrogenases using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy. In collaboration with the Hirst group in Cambridge, I also investigated the structure-function relationship of the long FeS cluster relay in Mitochondrial Complex I.

After my undergraduate studies in Oxford I went to China on a program run by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), learning Mandarin at the Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Outside the lab I enjoy latin & ballroom dancing, playing squash and running. I am also a member of the Arcadian Singers.

I’m a fourth-year D. Phil. student working on various projects in the lab, including characterisation of E. coli hyd-3, a physiological hydrogen producer, and looking into electron transfer in hydrogenases. I received my Bachelor of Science, Joint Honours in Biology and Chemistry from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and spent my junior year on exchange at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, where I studied in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

I’m a member of Linacre College; most of my free time is spent with outside adventuring, cycling and rowing. I also enjoy yoga and music.

I am a fourth year DPhil student in the Armstrong Group. Before coming to Oxford, I got my BS and MS degree in Chemistry respectively from National Taiwan University. After that, I was a research assistant under supervison of Prof. Sunney Chan (he was also my supervisor during my masters degree) at Academia Sinica where I used several bioinorganic spectroscopy methods and molecular biology to study metalloproteins such as pMMO (particulate methane monooxygenase) and hemerythrin.

Now, I am studying carbon monoxide dehydrogenase via PFV and trying to combine nanoparticles with enzymes to catalyze some important reactions such as the water-gas shift reaction. Outside the lab, I like to ride a bike and listen to OST (original soundtracks). I hope that I have a chance to explore whole UK by bike before my graduation.

After completing my Part II in the group as an undergraduate at St. Peter’s I am now a third year DPhil at St. John’s. My project involves using electrochemistry to probe the effects of small ligands on the catalytic activity of hydrogenases, mostly concentrating on the [NiFe]-hydrogenases, Hyd-1 and Hyd-2 from E. coli. Although electrochemistry is very useful for studying the catalytic activity of enzymes, it gives no structural insight into their various states and I am learning new techniques, such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy to further my work.

Outside of the lab I try to make the most of still being a student in Oxford and concentrate on doing all the things I wish I had done during my undergrad!

I’m a third year DPhil student from St. John’s College, having first joined the Armstrong Group at Oxford in 2009 to work on the final Master thesis. I am working on unnatural amino acids to investigate and engineer hydrogenase properties and immobilisation.

Outside lab, I picked up Badminton again after rowing last year. When there is time I also enjoy going to events and talks of the many interesting societies at Oxford!

I am a second year graduate student from St John’s College. Before I joined the Armstrong Group, I read chemistry at Nanjing University and Brown University. My current research project is to construct high power-density and mediatorless enzyme-based biofuel cells. In my spare time I like to read a lot of books, as the Chinese saying goes, ’Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles‘.

I’m a 2nd year DPhil student from St. John’s College. Prior to starting at Oxford, I received a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Erlangen, Germany, and conducted my Masters thesis on artificial photosynthesis in the laboratory of Heinz Frei in Berkeley. After graduation, I spent just over a year working for a large chemical corporation, initially carrying out a research project on heterogeneous catalysis in Novara, Italy. Later on, I worked in the business development function, mainly covering battery materials for electric vehicles and energy storage systems. In the Armstrong laboratory, I am currently studying the mechanisms of charge transport in artificial photosynthetic systems comprising of enzymatic fuel-producing catalysts. Using electrochemistry, I am also exploring the interaction of reversible electrocatalysts with semiconducting light-absorbers. In a third, mechanistic project, I am investigating the inhibition of [FeFe]-hydrogenases by aldehydes.

I am a first year DPhil student attached to St. Cross College. I am currently researching enzymatic fuel cells with Lang and Philippa. Before coming to Oxford, I received my bachelor’s degree at Shandong University, China.

I like swimming, hiking and traveling in my spare time. I miss Chinese food a lot here in Oxford.

My name is Tania. I completed my B.Sc. and M.S. in Applied Chemistry and Chemical Technology from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, with top positions in both before joining as a faculty member of that department. As Assistant Professor, my job was to conduct classes, both theoretical and practical. This year, I joined Fraser’s group as a Doctoral student and have been assigned to the CO-dehydrogenase project.

When not in the lab, my time is taken up by my two children, one aged 3+ and the other 2-, and matters related to them. I enjoy my spare time with my husband, usually chatting or watching TV, or on the more active side, by going on walks or shopping!

I’m a first year DPhil student from Thailand. Before coming here, I studied in Japan for 7 years and received a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tokyo. Previously I did some research on photocatalytic water splitting by using semiconductor powders, and I hope to combine that knowledge with the use of enzymes to construct systems for CO₂ reduction under visible light.

In my free time, I like to read (scifi, fantasy) and play all kinds of games (card, board, PC, console). I also enjoy basketball and table tennis.

I am Claudia, an academic visitor in the Armstrong Group. In September 2012 I finished my Masters thesis in Microbiology in Germany at Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. Now I want to learn electrochemical methods to study hydrogenases. In my free time I enjoy sightseeing in Oxford, read books and go swimming.

I am a Part II student at New College working on solar fuels. Using carbon monoxide dehydrogenases (CODH) which efficiently catalyse the light-driven production of CO from CO₂ we hope to understand the mechanism of electron transfer between enzyme and semiconductor more fully to hopefully provide inspiration to develop a scalable synthetic device. Outside of the lab I like to make the most of still being a student and also enjoy skiing and snowboarding whenever I have the chance.

I’m working in the group as a Part II from St John’s. Currently I am working on a project which involves trying to spin label the hydrogenase for future study by EPR. When not in the lab, I am often working hard on honing my body with a steady diet of doughnuts and KFC (in the face of much derision from the other Part II’s) and playing and watching football as a lifelong Newcastle United supporter.

I am a Part II student from St. Anne’s College. I am working on the development of improved electrode materials for use in a hydrogenase/BOD fuel cell. I am investigating materials with a view to miniaturisation. Before coming to Oxford I studied in Swaziland, Southern Africa for two years.

Outside of the lab I enjoy singing, dancing and travelling to unusual countries, as well as working in a nursing home.

I am a Part II student from Queen’s College. I am working with Maxie and Suzannah to use EPR and rapid-freeze quench methods to try and look into intermediates in the functioning of hydrogenases. Outside of the lab I enjoy yoga, baking (unfortunately not up to the standard of The Great British Bake Off), getting muddy at festivals and going home to the North of England where people don’t think my accent is funny!