Following her undergraduate degree at the University of London, Chris moved to the University of Sussex for her D. Phil and then to the University of Bristol as a Research Fellow with Professor Jake MacMillan FRS working as part of an interdisciplinary team to understand the role of gibberellins in plant growth and development. This sowed the seeds for her lifelong interest in natural products. She was appointed to a Lectureship in Organic Chemistry at the University of Bristol in 1990 and promoted to Professor in 2000. Since 2013 she has been the Head of Organic and Biological Chemistry in Bristol.
Current research in her group centres on natural products from fungi and bacteria which are rich sources of compounds of medicinal and agrochemical value. By combining organic synthesis with synthetic and structural biology, Chris’s group and collaborators are generating novel biologically active compounds with a focus on new antibiotics and agrochemical agents. In addition, new biocatalysts are being developed for the clean and efficient synthesis of bioactive targets.
Her work has been recognised by awards including:.
2008 Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Flintoff Medal
2010 University of Bristol Teaching and Learning Award
2013 RSC Rita and John Cornforth Award (team award to the Polyketide Group)
2018 RSC Award for Service
2019 IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry/ Chemical Engineering Award
2020 RSC Natural Product Chemistry Award
PDRAs
Andrew Devine
Andrew graduated from the University of St Andrews in 2018 with an MChem in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry. He carried out his final year project with Professor David O’Hagan on the development of novel PET tracers compatible with enzymatic fluorination. In September 2018 Andrew joined the SWBio DTP and he will be investigating enzymes on the abyssomicin biosynthetic pathway with a view to developing novel biocatalysts under the supervision of Professor Chris Willis and Dr Paul Race. In his spare time Andrew enjoys football, running, hiking and listening to music and podcasts.
Final Year Ph.D. Students
Joe Russell
Joe graduated from the University of Durham in 2016 with a first class MChem. In his final year, he worked under Dr John Sanderson to pursue solid-phase synthesis of asymmetric glycerophospholipids. After a period of working at Antikor Biopharma as a research chemist, in September 2019 he began a PhD in Bristol on interrogating enzymes along various tetronate biosynthetic pathways under the supervision of Prof. Chris Willis and Dr Paul Race. In his spare time, Joe enjoys badminton, singing (badly) and talking pretentiously about obscure bands to anyone in his vicinity.
Felix de Courcy-Ireland
Felix graduated with a first class MSci degree in Chemistry from Imperial College London in 2019. In his final year project, he synthesized a model system to study the biogenesis of the marine natural product marilzanin under the supervision of Prof. Chris Braddock. In 2019 he joined the Technology Enhanced Chemical Synthesis (TECS) CDT programme at the University of Bristol and is carrying out his PhD under the joint supervision of Profs. Matt Crump and Chris Willis. Felix is currently synthesizing a precursor to the antibiotic mupirocin to further elucidate its biosynthesis. Outside of the lab he can be found: drinking beers, exercising, or getting excited in the Wai Yee Hong Chinese supermarket.
3rd Year Ph.D. Students
Annabel Phillips
Annabel completed her MSci Chemistry degree from the University of Bristol in June 2020. She carried out her final year research project under the supervision of Professor Chris Willis, employing a variety of synthetic methodologies to produce novel drug scaffolds. Annabel is currently part of the SWBio DTP 2020 cohort at the University of Bristol and is undertaking her PhD under the joint supervision of Profs. Matt Crump and Chris Willis. The main aim of Annabel’s research is to investigate the kalimantacin biosynthetic pathway and further understand the precise way this is controlled.
Josie Harcourt
Josie graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2020 with an MSci in Chemistry, during which she undertook a placement year at Pfizer. During her final year project, she worked under the supervision of Prof. Robert Stockman towards the synthesis of chiral azetidines from sulfinamides. In 2020 Josie joined the Bristol TECS CDT and for her PhD she will be investigating the biosynthesis of THP and THF rings. In her spare time, Josie enjoys racing her bike (with varying degrees of success) and cooking.
Kaiman Cheung
Kaiman graduated with an MChem in chemistry from the University of Oxford in 2020. In his final year, he undertook a project supervised by Prof. Steve Davies investigating the use of aziridinium ions for the asymmetric synthesis of 1,2-diamino acids and other diamines. Kaiman joined the Technology Enhanced Chemical Synthesis CDT at Bristol in 2020. Under the supervision of Profs. Chris Willis, Paul Race and Dr. Martin Hayes (AZ), he is currently investigating the utility of Diels-Alderases for the synthesis of abyssomicin analogues via a combined synthetic, computational and biological chemistry approach.
2nd Year Ph.D. Students
Sacha Charlton
Sacha graduated from the University of Warwick in 2021 with a Master of Chemistry, during which she undertook an industrial placement year with AstraZeneca in Gothenburg, Sweden. Her final year project involved substrate synthesis and molecular docking to explore Diels-Alderase enzyme catalysis under the supervision of Prof Greg Challis. Sacha joined the SWBio DTP in 2021, and under the joint supervision of Prof Chris Willis and Prof Paul Race, will focus on investigating enzymes in the biosynthetic pathways of mupirocin and abyssomicin natural products. Sacha loves music, films, food and talking to anyone who will listen about Gilmore Girls.
Sarah Husain
Sarah graduated from Taibah University, Saudi Arabia, with a BSc in chemistry and went on to obtain Master’s degree in marine chemistry from King AbdulAziz University in 2018. In 2017 she started to work as teaching assistant at Taibah University and later joined the Willis research group in 2022 as a PhD student. She is working on synthetic and biosynthetic investigations of the mupirocin biosynthetic pathway and these studies focus on the timing of the esterification step relative to THP ring formation.
Hannah Mulliner
Hannah graduated from Keele University in 2021 with and MChem in chemistry. In her final year, she completed a project under the supervision of Dr Matthew O’Brien developing diastereoselective methodology towards the synthesis of 2,4,6-trisubstituted tetrahydropyrans. In September 2021 Hannah joined the Technology Enhanced Chemical Synthesis CDT at the University of Bristol. Under the supervision of Profs Chris Willis, Paul Race and Dr Martin Hayes (AZ), she is currently investigating the biosynthetic Pathway towards neoabyssomicin A using a combination of total synthesis and synthetic biology. In her spare time, Hannah enjoys drawing, singing, hiking and going to live music events.
1st Year Ph.D. Students
Anjali Shah
Anjali graduated from the University of Bristol in 2021 with an MSci in Chemistry, undertaking a placement at Evotec during her studies. Her final year project, under Professor Dek Woolfson, focused on de novo designed alpha helical barrels and their applications. Anjali joined the SWBio DTP in 2022. Under the supervision of Professor Chris Willis and Dr Andy Bailey, her PhD will focus on the maleidrides. She will aim to explore their biosynthetic pathway and the role certain enzymes play, with a view to generate a library of novel (bioactive) compounds. In her free time Anjali loves cooking, dancing (ballet) and most importantly listening to hip hop!
Paul Bowler
Paul graduated from the University of Bristol in 2023 with a MSci in Chemistry. He carried out his final year research project under the supervision of Professor Chris Willis focusing on the synthesis of derivatives of the antibiotic mupirocin. After graduating Paul re-joined the Willis group funded by a Bristol School of Chemistry scholarship. Paul’s work is currently centred around the total synthesis of polyketide natural products first isolated from fungi.
Lorna Minty
Lorna graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2022 with a MChem in Chemistry with Medicinal and Biological Chemistry. In her final year she undertook her Master’s project under the supervision of Professor Andrew Lawrence synthesising a series of derivatives and ring homologues of the polyketide derived natural product ulodione A. Lorna joined the 2022 cohort of the TECS CDT at the University of Bristol and her PhD project is under the supervision of Professors Chris Willis, Paul Race and Martin Hayes exploring Diels-Alderases and their utility in synthesising analogues of Abyssomicins. In her spare time Lorna loves reading, yoga and crocheting yet more cardigans.
Liam Smith
Liam graduated from the University of Bristol in 2022 with an MSci in Chemistry. He undertook his final year project in the Willis group working on the synthesis of a nitrogen analogue of mupirocin with an aim to enzymatically form piperidine rings. After graduating, Liam joined the TECS CDT and has now begun a project under the joint supervision of Professors Matt Crump and Chris Willis investigating the mechanism and control of beta branching in polyketide biosynthesis. In his spare time, Liam enjoys playing badminton and listening to podcasts and music.
Clare Rabbitt
Clare graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2022 with an MSci in Chemistry having untaken a year in industry working at Evotec. During her final year she worked with Dr. Paul Davies investigating synthetic approaches for the formation of oxazole rings. Clare joined the TECS CDT as part of the 2022 cohort and is now carrying out her PhD under the joint supervision of Professors Matt Crump and Chris Willis focusing on the total synthesis of the natural product Galbonolide C and its biosynthetic pathway. Outside the lab, Clare can likely either be found in an orchestra rehearsal playing the violin, or at a theatre watching a musical.
MRes Students
Asier Gonzalez Montero
Asier graduated from Lancaster University in 2020 with a first class in Natural Sciences. His final year project focused on the development of aqueous zinc-ion batteries using a vanadium tellurate cathode. He joined the Willis group this year as a MRes student and will be working towards the total synthesis of the maleidride natural product viburspiran using asymmetric strategies and photochemistry. In his spare time he enjoys taking pictures, working out, playing the piano, composing (or rather, trying to), listening to music, travelling, learning languages and cooking.
Natalia Stefanou
Natalia graduated from the University of Bristol in 2020 with a first class in Chemistry. In her final year she undertook a project supervised by Professor Emma Raven probing the nature of the Fe‒O bond in heme ferryl intermediates by comparing the enzyme intermediates with ferric and ferryl intermediates reported in the Cambridge Structural Database. The results of her final year project were included in a published paper of the Raven Group. She joined the Willis group in 2021 as a MRes student and will be working towards the total synthesis of the natural product phomolide and towards considering a biomimetic approach to the synthesis of phomonol. In her spare time, Natalia enjoys playing volleyball, playing the guitar, and dancing.