Pilkington Group
Professor Melanie Pilkington (FRSC)
Former Tier (II) Canada Research Chair
Department of Chemistry, Brock University
Dr. Melanie Pilkington FRSC: The Group Leader
I was born in Nuneaton, England on the 17th of June 1969 as the eldest of two daughters. My younger sister Allison came along 3 years later. When I was 9 years old my family moved to South Wales and I grew up in the small seaside village of Ogmore-by-Sea (below) in the Vale of Glamorgan.
2020 - Present Full Professor, Brock University, Canada
2004- 2020 Associate Professor, Brock University, Canada.
1999- 2003 Research Assistant, University of Berne, Switzerland.
1997- 1999 Postdoctoral Research Assistant,
University of Cambridge, U.K, (Advisor, Prof. A.J. Kirby).
1995- 1997 Postdoctoral Research Assistant, University of Berne, Switzerland (Advisor, Prof. Hans-Beat Bürgi).
1991- 1995 Ph.D in Chemistry, University of Kent at Canterbury, U.K. (Advisor, Prof. John. D. Wallis).
Educational and Professional Appointments
Brock University campus in St. Catharines Ontario, Canada.
Awards and Honours
2017 Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) (UK)
2005 Young Investigator Award (PREA).
2004 Tier (II) Canada Research Chair in Inorganic Chemistry.
2004 Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) Föderungsprofessuren.
Fellowship (start up funds to establish an independent research program in Basel, Switzerland, declined).
1995 DAAD (German National Exchange Service) Scholarship.
1989 ERASMUS (European Echange) Scholarship.
Cairns Family and Bioscience Research Complex at Brock University where the Pilkington Group is located. (Click here for a link to their website)
Personal and Professional History
The Welsh coastline at Ogmore-by-Sea.
Ogmore Castle
I received my first degree from the University of Kent at Canterbury in the summer of 1991 with a major in biological chemistry and a minor in Italian. From 1991-1995 I was a doctoral student in the group of Professor John. D. Wallis at the University of Kent at Canterbury. My Ph.D thesis involved synthetic organic chemistry (exploiting cyclic sulfates as intermediates to chiral amino acids and cyclic sulfate esters for the preparation of organic conductors) as well as X-ray Crystallography. An interest in molecular interactions led me to join the crystallography laboratory of Professor Hans Beat Bürgi at the University of Berne, Switzerland to learn about the field of small molecule X-ray crystallography. My background in Biological chemistry and a fascination for molecular interactions then lead me to Cambridge where I spent one and a half years in the physical organic chemistry group of Professor A.J. Kirby working on developing efficient enzyme models for lysozyme. While in Cambridge, the opportunity arose for me to return to the University of Berne to work in an inorganic chemistry group specialising in magnetic materials. During this time I was able to develop my own independent research ideas in three areas namely molecule-based magnetism, organic conductors and phthalocyanines. My achievements were recognised by the Swiss Chemical Society in 2004 when I was awarded a Förderungsprofessuren fellowship to establish an independent research group at the University of Basel. Instead of remaining in Switzerland however, I decided to cross the Ocean and accept an Associate Professorship position in the Department of Chemistry at Brock University in Canada where I was awarded a Canada Research Chair in the Spring of 2004. I am currently enjoying balancing teaching and research at Brock University where I have established an active, interdisciplinary research program.
Birthday Celebrations June 17th 2019 - Celebrating a major birthday milestone with the group
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