Emily Brogden

final year phd researcher

Emily graduated from the University of Warwick in July 2020 with a first-class BSc Chemistry degree. She completed a summer research project with BonLab in 2019 focusing on the formation of high molecular weight silicone emulsions via a critical phase inversion.

She re-joined BonLab as an MSc researcher in October 2020. She upgraded her degree program and now is a PhD student (May 2021 onwards). Her project focuses on designing the next generation of activatable labels without a release liner. This involves preparing a variety of soft, hard, and armoured polymer latexes via emulsion polymerisation. These will then be film-formed and investigated for use as pressure-sensitive adhesives.

In her free time, Emily enjoys reading and going on long walks with her dog.

Josh Davies

4th year PhD researcher

Josh joined BonLab in October 2019 as an undergraduate researcher alongside his studies. Josh graduated with a first-class BSc degree in Chemistry from the University of Warwick in 2021. During this time he worked on (1) utilising emulsion polymerization as a tool to encapsulate pigments and (2) investigating the use of macromonomers as reactive polymeric stabilisers in mini-emulsion polymerization.

In October 2021, he started his PhD project working on oil-based colloidal systems trying to unravel the soft matter physics of responsive gels and dynamic interacting macromolecular solutions.

In his free time, Josh enjoys rock climbing and bouldering, as well as being an avid lover of cars!

Alex Fletcher

4th year PhD researcher

Alex graduated from the University of Warwick in June 2021 with a BSc in Chemistry (1st Class Honours).

In October 2021, Alex joined BonLab with a research project focusing on biodegradable polyester water-based dispersions, with an aim of finding an alternative to traditional polyacrylate emulsions used in coatings and adhesives.

In his free time, Alex enjoys cooking, reading, and playing video games.

Mars Poxon

2nd year phd researcher

Mars graduated from the University of Warwick in July of 2023 with a BSc in biochemistry. In  2022 they undertook a summer project within Bonlab exploring the effect of molecular weight on pressure-sensitive adhesives formed by emulsion polymerisation. Upon rejoining the lab now as a PhD student, Mars’ project is centred around exploring the dynamics, fate, and biodegradability of nanoplastics within freshwater environments.
In their free time, Mars enjoys bird watching, crocheting, and woodwork. 

Yutong Niu

1st year phd researcher

Yutong graduated with a BEng in Polymer Materials and Engineering from Hebei University of Technology (2018-2022, China). He continued his studies in polymer science and graduated with an MSc in Polymer Chemistry from the University of Warwick (2022-2023). His dissertation was on sustainable polymer chemistry using electrosynthesis. He joined BonLab at the start of January 2024 as a PhD researcher.

His research focusses on the synthesis of bio-based and functionalized polyether polyols. The idea is to unravel the polymerization mechanism to get control of polymer composition and architecture, and to explore new catalytic systems. The physical and mechanical properties of the polymers and formulations will also be investigated. The project is carried out in collaboration with Covestro.

Zhebin “Jerry” Jiang

1st year phd researcher

Zhebin joined BonLab in April 2024 as an MSc Polymer and Analytical Science project student. He starts his PhD studies in September 2024 where he will work on reconfigurable dynamic colloidal thermoset systems.

Liming Li

1st year PhD researcher

Liming joined BonLab in September 2024 as a PhD researcher. His project will involve the investigation of small molecule eutectic glasses and melts with “plastic"-like” features.

Bowen Qian

1st year PhD researcher

Bowen will join us at the end of 2024. His research project aims to take a sustainable approach and investigate the introduction of natural and bio-derived Pickering stabilizers to replace surfactant molecules in the design of water-based formulation products.

Chengyu Zheng

MRes Researcher

Chengyu joined BonLab in September 2024. Gels are attractive materials for a range of applications, including agriculture and food security, and personal, household, and medical care. Chengyu’s research aims to take a sustainable approach and investigate the introduction of bio-based design elements in gels so that they can be programmed, have the ability to communicate, and regulate their storage and release profiles.