Staff Profile

I am currently an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellow in the Advanced Materials and Electrochemical Engineering Group, in the School of Engineering. Current research focus involves the synthesis and characterisation of functionalised catalyst supports for electrochemical water splitting.

Research Experience

• 2025-Current, EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship - Engineering Nanoscale Catalyst Sites to Enable Gigascale Electrolyser Deployment
• 2024, Research Assistant (Prof. Mohamed Mamlouk) - Development of Spirocyclic Anion Exchange Membranes with Alkyl Backbones for Enhanced Alkali Stability
• 2024-2020, EPSRC ReNU CDT Funded PhD (Dr Simon Doherty) - The Design and Optimisation of Poly(Ionic Liquid) Stabilized Metal Nanoparticle Catalysts
• 2019, RSC Undergraduate Research Bursary (Dr Michael Hall) - Application of the Baeyer-Villiger Reaction to the Biomimetic Synthesis of Rishirilide A

Education

• 2024-2020, PhD in Energy Materials, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University
• 2020-2016, MChem in Chemistry, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University

Broad research interests across heterogeneous catalysis with a particular focus on how peripheral organic moieties can tune catalyst performance. Expertise in organic synthesis, heterogeneous catalyst characterisation, polymer chemistry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and porous materials.

Current Research Projects

• Functionalised graphene surfaces as supports for nickel catalysed water splitting
• Employment of advanced spectroscopic techniques (XPS, DRIFTS) for understanding mechanism of Pd catalysed hydrogenation of CO2 to formate

• Previously demonstrated inorganic chemistry for Chemistry lab courses NES2400 and NES3400 (Chemistry Laboratory Skills 2 and Chemistry Laboratory Skills 3P)
• Supported the supervision of 8 MChem student projects during PhD Studentship
• 2 students received awards for their projects, 1 student pursuing PhD in Chemistry

• Articles

  • Doherty S, Knight JC, Alharbi HY, Paterson R, Wills C, Dixon C, Chamberlain TW, Yan HM, Griffiths A, Daly H, Chansai S, Hardacre C. Gold Nanoparticle Catalyzed Solvent Switchable Selective Partial Reduction of Nitrobenzene to N-Phenylhydroxylamine and Azoxybenzene. ChemCatChem 2025, 17(5), e202401702.
  • Doherty S, Knight JG, Burgen T, Paterson Reece, Wills Corinne, Arca Elisabetta, Bourne Richard, Yan H, Chamberlain Tom. Efficient Hydrogen Evolution from Sodium Borohydride Catalyzed by Palladium Nanoparticles Stabilized by Amine-Decorated Cross-Linked Polymer Immobilized Ionic Liquids . Canadian Journal of Chemistry 2025. In Press.
  • Paterson R, Alharbi HY, Wills C, Chamberlain TW, Bourne RA, Griffiths A, Collins SM, Wu K, Simmons MD, Menzel R, Massey AF, Knight JG, Doherty S. Highly efficient and selective partial reduction of nitroarenes to N-arylhydroxylamines catalysed by phosphine oxide-decorated polymer immobilized ionic liquid stabilized ruthenium nanoparticles. Journal of Catalysis 2023, 417, 74-88.
  • Paterson R, Fahy LE, Arca E, Dixon C, Wills CY, Yan H, Griffiths A, Collins SM, Wu K, Bourne RA, Chamberlain TW, Knight JG, Doherty S. Amine-modified polyionic liquid supports enhance the efficacy of PdNPs for the catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ to formate. Chemical Communications 2023, 59, 13470-13473.
  • Paterson R, Alharbi AA, Wills C, Dixon C, Siller L, Chamberlain TW, Griffiths A, Collins SM, Wu KJ, Simmons MD, Bourne RA, Lovelock KRJ, Seymour J, Knight JG, Doherty S. Heteroatom Modified Polymer Immobilized Ionic Liquid Stabilized Ruthenium Nanoparticles: Efficient Catalysts for the Hydrolytic Evolution of Hydrogen from Sodium Borohydride. Molecular Catalysis 2022, 528, 112476.
  • Doherty S, Knight JG, Alharbi HY, Paterson R, Wills C, Dixon C, Siller L, Chamberlain TW, Griffiths A, Collins SM, Wu KJ, Simmonds SD, Bourne RA, Lovelock KRJ, Seymour J. Efficient Hydrolytic Hydrogen Evolution from Sodium Borohydride Catalyzed by Polymer Immobilized Ionic Liquid-Stabilized Platinum Nanoparticles. ChemCatChem 2022, 14(4), e202101752.