Simon McCormack

Experience

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  DyStar

  Sept 2007 - Jul 2008

  MChem Student

  Synthesising new dye systems as part of a year long MChem project. Project was carried out in collaboration with Dystar UK onsite at Manchester University. Optimised existing reactions and novel BDF dyes through Suzuki cross couplings.

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  Manchester Organics Ltd

  Aug 2008 - Mar 2013

  Synthetic Organic Chemist

  Synthesising a diverse range of chemical compounds for global pharmaceutical companies with specialism in high pressure chemistry and Fluorination reactions.• Multi-step synthesis from mg to multi-Kg scale (e.g. Hydrogenation, Redox and butyl lithium reactions)• Delivering target molecules to high specifications under tight schedules and budgets for top tier pharmaceutical clients.• High pressure autoclave fluorination reactions involving Hydrogen Fluoride. • Characterisations (NMR, MS, GC, IR) Show less

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  Nanoco Technologies Ltd

  Mar 2013 - Aug 2017

  Scale up Chemist

  A scale up chemist involved in the synthesis and scale up of cadmium free quantum dots, taking processes from R&D scale (<1L) to production (>20L), acting as a bridge between R&D and pilot plant scale.• Process development from millilitre to multi-litre scale.• Headhunted as part of a small Nanoco team to provide onsite technical support in transferring Nanoco technology from lab scale to plant scale at DOW facility in Korea.• Large-scale-batch production (1L-10L). • Use of LabVIEW and of fully automated reactor systems.• Air sensitive chemistry and safe handling of pyrophorics.• Characterisations (UV, PLQY and TGA). Show less

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  The University of Manchester

  Sept 2018 - Sept 2023

  PhD Student within the Materials for Demanding Environments (M4DE) CDT at The University of Manchester sponsored by Rolls Royce. Investigating the mechanism of diffusion, degradation and corrosion of Rare Earth (RE) silicate Environmental Barrier Coatings (EBCs) in high temperature steam. • Materials synthesis, characterisation (expertise in SEM, EDX and XRD analysis) and mechanism analysis. Demonstrating, teaching and marking a variety of masters level courses. Assessment and critical evaluation of written work. Provided a sixth form student with hands-on experience of professional research environment during a summer placement. The student gains insight into a variety of STEM careers. Developed and delivered activities to inspire and engage school and college students from across Greater Manchester.

  • PHD Student in M4DE CDT

    Sept 2017 - Sept 2023

  • Graduate Teaching Assistant

    Sept 2018 - Dec 2021

  • Nuffield Project Provider

    Jul 2019 - Sept 2019

  • Widening Participation Fellow

    Sept 2018 - Aug 2019
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  Survitec Group Ltd.

  Jan 2023 - now

  Materials And Process Engineer