Current Research Group
Dr. Alison Thompson, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Pyrrole Chemistry for Chemical Biology and Energy
Education
B.Sc. Hons I; I was an undergraduate at the University of Leicester in the UK (long before Leicester City won the Premier League); I gained my Ph.D. at the University of Sheffield in the UK with Dr. Varinder Aggawal; I gained PDF experience in Strasbourg (Prof. Solladie-Cavallo) in France, and then at UBC (Dr. David Dolphin) in Vancouver.
Research
In my Ph.D. I learned that if the product wasn't white and wasn't crystalline then it couldn't possibly be pure; this limited knowledge was turned on its head when I started working with polypyrroles - stunning oranges, purples, reds, and sometimes even black. My research group develops synthetic methodology to make new types of functional pyrroles and polypyrroles in elegant ways; we complex many of our polypyrroles and investigate their optical properties or bioactivity. We have many hundreds of pyrroles in our lab, but there is always the need for a few more.
Publications
Our publications link has my full record.
Fun Facts: I have two children; we have a dog; I ride my bike to work; horse-riding is my first love; I swim a lot; I enjoy making things from yarn or anything else that inspires - one project involved a crocheted blanket that resembles the landscape of a farm (brown ridges for a ploughed field, yellow corn field, blended green and yellow hay field, red for the barn; you get the idea).
Research Assistants
Dr. H. Ireshika C. De Silva
(Russell and Susan Boyd Visiting Fellow)
Education
I received my B.Sc. Honours degree in Chemistry from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, followed by my Ph.D. from Mississippi State University, USA, with Professor Emeritus Charles U. Pittam Jr. I carried out postdoctoral research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
Research
My research focuses on small-molecule synthesis, natural products chemistry, and green nanotechnology, with an emphasis on developing biologically active compounds and sustainable nanomaterials for biomedical applications. My work includes the synthesis of novel heterocyclic compounds, isolation and characterization of bioactive natural products from medicinal plants, algae, and endophytic microorganisms, and the catalytic applications of metal nanoparticles, graphene oxides, and carbon quantum dots. I am also interested in the development of plant extract-encapsulated nanomaterials, advanced drug delivery systems, and peptide-based bioorganic materials for therapeutic applications.
Awards and Fellowships
Russell and Susan Boyd Visiting Fellowship grant; Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
TWAS-UNESCO Associateship Grant award to carry out collaborative research with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India
Fellowship by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; a Visiting Scientist at the School of Pharmacy, University College London, UK
The Asian Universities Alliance Scholars Award; a Visiting Scholar at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Fun Facts: I enjoy travelling, singing, and cross-stitching.
Dr. Jim Hilborn
Education
I received my B.Sc. from the University of Guelph followed by my Ph.D. from Dalhousie University with Dr. James Pincock. I continued a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Mount Allison University with Dr. Ross Barclay.
Research
I have had extensive experience in the pharmaceutical business with research and commercial support for a large number of commercial and non-commercial products.
My research interest includes examining the synthesis and physical organic reaction mechanism of the photochemical decarboxylation of naphthylesters. This research led to the first determination of the decarboxylation rate of various acyloxy and arylacyloxy radicals at ambient temperature. From this work the synthesis of naphthyl substituted diaryl ethanes was explored. My current interests include new synthetic methodologies using traditional as well as photochemical techniques.
Recent Publication
Hilborn, J. W., Moya-Barrios, R., & Thompson, A. (2019). Photodecarboxylation of Substituted Naphthylmethyl Arylacetate Esters: Synthesis of Naphthylarylethanes. The Journal of organic chemistry, 84(18), 11992-11999.
Fun Facts: I am the father of four children which range in age from university to elementary school. I enjoy river fishing for salmonids (trout and salmon) using both fly and spinning set-up. A long-suffering Leafs fan, we all know that next year is their year!
Ph.D. Students
Emily Brown
Education
B.Sc. Chemistry at University of Northern British Columbia, 2022.
Research
My undergraduate research focused on the synthesis and application of metal organic frameworks for the removal of pollutants from aqueous systems. Additionally, I have done some work with the Northern Analytical Laboratory Services that focused investigating an industrial client's propriety lignin solution for characterization and application.
Awards
Dalhousie Dean of Science PhD Entrance Scholarship
Fun Facts: I have many good luck charms and I love reading. I also enjoy crafts, so have been (slowly) teaching myself to bind books.
Adam MacKay
Education
B.Sc in Biochemistry, University of Guelph, 2022
M.Sc in Chemistry, University of Guelph, 2025
Research
I completed my M.Sc under the supervision of Dr. France-Isabelle Auzanneau. My M.Sc research focused on the synthesis of large oligosaccharides, in particular the tetrasaccharide Lewis Y, to the be used in the design of cancer Immunotherapeutics. My PhD research focuses on the synthesis of F-BODIPYs that contain a plastic-like appendage to be used as sensors for nanoplastics.
Recent Conference Presentations
Synthesis of Tetrasaccharide Lewis Y from Trisaccharide Lewis X and LacNAc. Canadian Glycomics Symposium. Canmore, Alberta, May 2026.
Fun Facts: I am a triplet. During the winter months you can catch me at the curling club. In my free time I also play the piano.
James Moffat
Education
B.Sc. Chemistry at University of Guelph, 2023
M.Sc. Chemistry at Carleton University, 2025
Research
My undergraduate research focused on elucidating the influence of proximal boron functionalities on the regioselectivity of sulfinate nucleophiles. My master’s program focused on exploring the photophysical and photochemical properties of metal-organic and organic crystals for the development of smart materials. My current research projects involve optimizing an organic, dye-based hydrogen gas sensor and assessing the chemical properties of prodigiosin derivatives.
Awards
Walter C. Sumner Memorial Fellowship
Fun Facts: I like to build and ride bicycles, take photos, and play board games. I’d love to learn how to fly and airplane. I like to shoot Super 8mm video film and play it on my projector.
Elisa Ospanow
Education
B.Sc. Biochemistry at the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover, 2017
M.Sc. Biochemistry at the Medical School Hannover, 2019
PhD in chemistry at Dalhousie University, 2026
Research
My M.Sc. research projects were carried out in Chemistry labs where I did a lot of total synthesis of bioactive compounds. My research was focused on synthesizing new derivatives of antibacterial compounds, which can be seen as a novel class of antibiotics. A lot of these derivatizations are based on computer modeled activity and steric interactions as well as biological test results.
My PhD research focused on the design and synthesis of small-molecule enzyme inhibitors. She developed boron-based scaffolds - including benzoxaboroles exploiting their reversible diol-binding chemistry and pH-dependent boron geometry. My work also examined GH3-family glycosidase inhibition using synthetic exoglycals.
Fun facts: I love cooking and baking as I suppose most Chemists do.