Matthew Anketell 🇬🇧

Matthew grew up in the south east of England. He studied for his undergrad at the University of Cambridge, doing his masters project on the total synthesis of patellazole B in the lab of Professor Ian Paterson. He continued to do his Ph.D. in the Paterson lab, completing the first total synthesis of the actinoallolide family of antiparasitic polyketide natural products. He has many hobbies including reading literature, hiking, birdwatching, cooking and programming.  

Anthony McDonagh 🇮🇪

Anthony was born and raised in Galway, a small city on the west coast of Ireland. Here, he obtained his B.Sc. in Chemistry from NUI Galway in 2011 and continued for a further 4 years to receive a Ph.D. under the supervision of Paul V. Murphy, in carbohydrate and synthetic organic chemistry. After completing a Postdoc in heterocyclic chemistry and a second in nuclear medicine, he now works for the Britton group. Outside the lab, Anthony enjoys playing mandolin, traveling, reading, drinking Guinness and hiking. 

Josiah Newton 🇨🇦

Josiah received his B.Sc. (Hons) in chemistry under the supervision of Dr. Chadron M. Friesen at Trinity Western University (TWU) in 2017, where he explored the synthesis of hydrofluoroethers. Josiah joined the Britton Group at Simon Fraser University in the Fall of 2017, under the joint supervision of Chadron M. Friesen and Robert Britton. His work focuses on the synthesis of fluorinated small molecules. Outside of the lab, Josiah enjoys playing video games, cooking, and listening to music. 

Daniel Driedger 🇨🇦

Daniel was born and raised in Abbotsford, BC, where he completed his B.Sc. in chemistry at the University of the Fraser Valley. During his degree, he worked under the supervision of Dr. Chadron Friesen (TWU) on the development of a difluoroalkyl ether synthesis. He joined the Britton lab in the summer of 2019 and is excited to be pursuing a Ph.D. focused on the development of new synthetic methodology. Apart from lab work, he enjoys playing sports (hockey, volleyball, squash, tennis), cycling, board games, guitar, and listening to worship music. 

Callum Lucas 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

From Ayr, Scotland, Callum graduated with a MChem from the university of St Andrews in 2019. Currently in his 4th year and working on the synthesis of thionucleoside analogues. Callum enjoys hiking, going to concerts, and playing golf and football (soccer).

Tommi Muilu 🇫🇮

Tommi was born and raised in the Capital Region of Helsinki, Finland. After finishing the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in Finland, Tommi moved to Scotland where he completed his undergraduate and masters in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry at the University of St Andrews. After graduating in 2021, Tommi started his PhD degree at SFU and is now working on the synthesis of novel, locked nucleosides. Outside the lab, Tommi enjoys hiking, playing tennis and throwing a frisbee around.

Bryce Kirk 🇨🇦

Bryce was born and raised in Edmonton, AB, where he completed his BSc in chemistry at Concordia University of Edmonton in 2021. He joined the Britton lab in September 2021 in pursuit of a MSc, currently working on the total synthesis of dragocin A. In his free time Bryce enjoys rock climbing, cooking, and going to baseball games. 

Damian Szymor-Pietrzak 🇨🇦🇵🇱

Damian was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. He received his B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of Alberta in 2020. During his days as an undergraduate he had the opportunity to work in the laboratory of Prof. D. L. J. Clive. His research project involved developing a methodology to access meta-Aminophenols. He is currently pursuing an MSc at SFU in the laboratory of Prof. Robert Britton, where he is involved in the total synthesis of Eleutherobin. Besides chemistry, he enjoys exercising, playing videogames, and relaxing in the sauna.

Carolyn 🇨🇦

Carolyn was born and raised in Waterloo, Ontario. She later completed her undergrad at the University of Western Ontario where she looked at the effects of corrosion on nuclear fuel waste containers under the supervision of Dr. Samantha Gateman. Carolyn joined the Britton Lab in May 2022, working on synthesizing carbafucose prodrugs. Outside of chemistry, she enjoys spending time outside hiking, scuba diving, or playing sports.

Suping Baikabi 🇧🇼

Suping hails from Malaka, a small village in the central part of Botswana. He completed his B.Sc. in Chemistry at University of Botswana in 2019. Inspired by the Britton lab's work, and its relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic, he joined the group in the summer of 2022 in pursuit of a Ph.D. His research focuses on method development for synthesis of nucleoside analogues. Outside the lab, Suping enjoys road cycling and listening to music. 

Alan Brooke 🇨🇦🇬🇧

Alan completed his B.Sc. in chemistry at Trinity Western University (Langley, BC) in 2022, where under the supervision of Chadron Friesen he helped develop novel methods for the synthesis of fluorine-containing small molecules. As an undergraduate researcher, he worked with the Britton lab in the summers of 2021 and 2022 developing a novel method for the synthesis of α-haloaldehydes. In Fall 2022 he began his Ph.D. degree as a graduate member of the Britton group focusing on the same method and its applications. Outside of the lab, Alan enjoys playing soccer and ultimate frisbee, working out at the gym, watching movies, and listening to music. 

Huyen (Minh) Tran 🇻🇳

Huyen (Minh) Tran, from Hanoi, Vietnam, completed her Combined Chemistry and Biochemistry (BSc.) degree at the University of Victoria in 2022. During her undergraduate degree, she had a chance to work on photoaffinity labeling chemistry under the supervision of Dr. Jeremy Wulff. She joined the Britton lab at SFU in the Fall of 2022 in pursuit of a M.Sc. Her project focuses on improving both the diastereo- and enantioselectivity of the synthesis of nucleoside analogs. Outside of work, she enjoys drawing, writing, and movies.