Dr Andrew Foster

Biography

Andrew Foster was born in Armagh, Northern Ireland in 1975. He studied at Queen’s University, Belfast gaining a B.Sc. in Chemistry in 1996. He remained there to complete a postgraduate research studentship (doctorate), funded by Du Pont Dow Elastomers LLC, investigating polychloroprene popcorn, under the supervision of Dr. Allan Fawcett (completed in 2000). In 2001, he moved to Sheffield University to take up a postdoctoral project funded by ICI Paints working under the supervision of Prof. John Ebdon and Dr. Steve Rimmer. This project involved the characterization and use of ozonates, generated from the ozonolysis of alkenes, as initiators of solution and emulsion polymerizations. The main findings from this work were featured on the front cover of the Journal of Organic Chemistry in 2004. He then remained in Sheffield for a further postdoctoral project (2003-2004) working with Dr. Patrick Fairclough on a project, funded by Dstl (Ministry of Defence), investigating gas permeation through barrier films. He then moved to Manchester University to work with Prof. Pete Lovell and Dr. Michael Rabjohns in the School of Materials, Manchester, as part of a larger EU consortium of academics and industrial companies funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (2004-2007). The aim of the project was to design nanoscale heterogeneities for controlling water-borne pressure-sensitive adhesive performance. This was achieved with semi-batch continuous emulsion polymerizations producing controlled monodisperse structured particles. In 2009, he completed a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) at Manchester University. From 2010 to 2017, Andrew was employed as a project scientist within the research group of Prof. Michael Turner, working on several projects in collaboration with companies as part of the Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry (KCMC). Projects relating to the synthesis and characterization of conjugated polymers, catalytic curing of varied polymer systems, application of flow chemistry to monomer production and commercial free-radical polymerizations were completed. He is currently employed as a research associate on the ESPRC Immortal Membranes project grant (SynFabFun) working in the research group of Prof. Peter Budd.