Experience

HydRegen

• United Kingdom
• Biotechnology
• 1 - 100 Employee

• CEO & Co-founder

  • Jan 2021 - Present

  We are developing bio-based manufacturing technologies for the fine chemicals and pharmaceutical markets at early and late stages of process design. We tackle limitations with using biocatalysis at an early stage in industrial R&D, where agility, speed and predictability are essential, whilst also validating our scale up strategies with industry leaders, where cost, productivity and reproducibility are critical. We are developing bio-based manufacturing technologies for the fine chemicals and pharmaceutical markets at early and late stages of process design. We tackle limitations with using biocatalysis at an early stage in industrial R&D, where agility, speed and predictability are essential, whilst also validating our scale up strategies with industry leaders, where cost, productivity and reproducibility are critical.



University of Oxford

• United Kingdom
• Research Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• • Jan 2016 - Jun 2021

  We have been awarded major R&D funding by EPSRC through Innovate UK / BBSRC / EPSRC Industrial Biotechnology Catalyst scheme to translate our HydRegen technology towards commercialisation. To translate our H2-driven biocatalysis system towards market, research spanning enzyme scale-up, optimisation of the enzyme-modified particles, development of biocatalytic hydrogenation steps in industry standard batch and flow reactors and investigation into the scope of the system is required. I am leading this research effort and ensuring developments are industrially relevant by regularly meeting with our industrial Advisory Board and industrial and academic project partners. Show less

• • Feb 2015 - Dec 2015

  I was responsible for the continued development our hydrogen-driven cofactor recycling technology, HydRegen. For part of this time I was carrying out research on an industry linked project to develop H2-driven NADPH recycling for C=C reductions. I supervised the day-to-day research of 5 undergraduate and graduate student projects and contributed to academic publications, development of a business plan and a number of successful grant applications.

• • Feb 2011 - Mar 2015

  During my DPhil, I demonstrated and developed a highly innovative approach to using cofactor-dependent redox enzymes for H2 driven biotransformations. This system combines the exquisite selectivity of biocatalysts with the perfect atom economy of catalytic hydrogenations and represents a step-change for implementation of biocatalytic processes for fine chemicals synthesis. This research bridges concepts from bioinorganic chemistry, biocatalysis, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis and organic synthesis offering a completely new route to selective hydrogenation reactions which can be carried out under mild conditions, and as flow or batch processes. A full paper detailing characterisation and demonstration of this novel system was highlighted as a cover article in ChemCatChem (Reeve et al., Issue 7, 2015). The results are analysed and reported in multiple ways such that they relevant and accessible to both the bio- and chemo-catalysis communities. I have demonstrated this platform approach for synthetic steps which remain challenging using traditional methods, such as C=X reductions (with >99.9 % enantiomeric excess) and selective O atom insertions.During my DPhil I balanced research, supervision of 6 Masters students, and a demanding business course. I gave oral and poster presentations at interdisciplinary conferences and was awarded prizes for some of these presentations. http://vincent.chem.ox.ac.uk/ Show less



SETsquared Partnership

• United Kingdom
• Higher Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• ICURe Entrepreneurial Lead

  • Jan 2020 - Jun 2020

  Awarded a place on the ICURe scheme run by SETsquared as an Entrepreneurial Lead (Jan-March 2020). During this time I spoke to more than 60 companies, uncovering opportunities for our biocatalytic hydrogenation and deuteration technologies. The strongest market pull was for sustainable chemistry and the insights we gained have allowed us to develop routes to market that address real problems in the chemicals sector. We were awarded £300k from Innovate UK via ICURe follow on funding which has allowed us to start a company to commercialise our technology. Show less



Reach plc

• United Kingdom
• Technology, Information and Media
• 700 & Above Employee

• British Science Association Media Fellow at Mirror Online

  • Jul 2018 - Jul 2018

  I was awarded a British Science Association Media Fellowship for 2018. As part of the Fellowship I spent 2 weeks as a Science/Technology journalist at the Mirror Online. I wrote more than 20 articles during this time, including a Feature piece: 'Why Love Island is turning YOU into a scientist'. I also featured in a podcast discussing science and the media with the Science/Tech team. This experience taught me a great deal about how Universities and research organisations can better interact with the media and provided me with an excellent opportunity to broaden my writing experience and style. As part of this Fellowship, I will be reporting on the British Science Festival in September. Show less



Berlin Institute of Technology (Technische Universität Berlin)

• United Kingdom
• Research
• 400 - 500 Employee

• EMBO Short Term Fellowship

  • Jun 2015 - Aug 2015

  During this 3 month fellowship position I was able to quickly learn and implement new techniques in molecular biology. I designed and generated a series of enzyme variants which will allow me to probe the structure-function relationship and mechanism in the important class of NAD+/NADH cycling flavo-enzymes. During this 3 month fellowship position I was able to quickly learn and implement new techniques in molecular biology. I designed and generated a series of enzyme variants which will allow me to probe the structure-function relationship and mechanism in the important class of NAD+/NADH cycling flavo-enzymes.