Bristol Electrosynthesis Meeting 2026
School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
30th March 2026
12:30 - 18:00
Supported by
Plenary Speakers
Prof Zach Wickens
UW Madison, USA
"Selective Synthesis using Light and Electricity"
Zach Wickens is currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Zach received his B.A. from Macalester College (2010) and his Ph.D (2015) from the California Institute of Technology with Robert H. Grubbs. In his doctoral work, he discovered and studied new catalyst-controlled Wacker oxidation reactions. Following doctoral studies, Zach was an NIH postdoctoral scholar in the lab of Eric N. Jacobsen at Harvard University. In his postdoctoral studies, he developed a useful synthetic methodology to prepare chiral building blocks and introduced a potentially general framework to precisely control reactive ionic intermediates. In 2018, Zach launched his independent career at UW–Madison where his group develops new approaches to generate and exploit reactive intermediates in organic synthesis using light and electricity. His research has led to a range of important discoveries, including advancing strategies to exploit abundant nucleophiles in oxidative alkene functionalization, introducing powerful photocatalytic systems for challenging reductions, and pioneering the use of formate salts as sources of CO2•–.
University of Manchester
"Electrochemical Strategies for the Ring-Opening of Heterocycles"
Giacomo grew up in Trezzo sull'Adda (Italy). He obtained both his BSc and MSc Degrees from Università degli Studi in Milan, where he undertook his final year projects in the laboratory of Prof. La Rosa and Prof. Dalla Croce – investigating the synthesis of novel isoxazoline heterocycles and their participation in chemoenzymatic reactions.
In 2012, Giacomo joined the Chemical Synthesis CDT (Centre for Doctoral Training) at the University of Bristol (UK). There, he started his doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. John F. Bower. During his PhD, Giacomo investigated novel methodologies for selective C–C bond formation via Ir-catalysed C–H activation.
In 2017, he started a postdoctoral appointment in the group of Prof. Paolo Melchiorre at ICIQ (Tarragona, Spain), where, in 2018, he was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship. During this time, his efforts focused on the development of asymmetric reactions, enabled by the photochemical activation of organocatalytic and organometallic intermediates.
In 2020, Giacomo joined the University of Manchester (UK) as a Lecturer in Organic Chemistry, working in close collaboration with the research group of Prof David J. Procter on asymmetric Cu-catalysis, sulfonium salt-mediated couplings, and the reactivity of SmI2.
Two years later, Giacomo started his independent career at UoM, where he was appointed Lecturer in Net Zero Catalysis. Currently, his research interests span from synthetic radical chemistry (electrochemistry and photochemistry) to catalytic processes mediated by Earth-abundant metal sources and main-group elements.
Giacomo is a passionate cook and an avid Inter Milan fan.
Industry Talk
Dr Riccardo Zaffroni
TNO, Netherlands
"Electrochemical Strategies Towards Industrial Electrification: Selective Conversion of Furfural to Pilot-Scale Operation"
Programme
12:30 Registration Opens
12:55 Welcome
13:00 Exhibitors Presentations
IKA, Merck, Metrohm and Alvatek
13:20 Plenary Lecture
Dr Giacomo Crisenza (University of Manchester, UK)
Electrochemical Strategies for the Ring-Opening of Heterocycles
13:55 ECR Presentation
Dr Tsz-Kan Ma (Imperial College London, UK)
Electrochemical Copper Catalysis: A Triple Catalytic System for C(sp2)–H Bond Functionalisation
14:15 ECR Presentation
Isobel Khalek (University of Bristol, UK)
The Promotion of Active Sites on Metal Oxide Electrocatalysts to Enhance the Kinetics of Biomass- Derived Oxidation Reactions
14:30 ECR Presentation
Mengai Mao (University of Bristol, UK)
Enhancing CO2 reduction with large-surface-area BDD electrodes
14:45 Industry Talk
Dr Riccardo Zaffaroni (TNO, Netherlands)
Electrochemical Strategies Towards Industrial Electrification: Selective Conversion of Furfural to Pilot- Scale Operation
15:20 Tea and Coffee Break
16:05 Industry Talk
Dr Hamish Stephen (AstraZeneca, UK)
The electrochemical Birch reduction of a substituted pyrrole for AZD0022
16:25 ECR Presentation
Tribani Boruah (Cardiff University, UK)
Bridging Academia and Industry: A Practical and Scalable eFlow Hydrogenation Platform
16:45 ECR Presentation
Luke Ward (University of Bristol, UK)
Electrochemical Synthesis of Isolated Fluoride Reagents from PFAS
17:05 ECR Presentation
Wolfgang Haumer (University of Strathclyde, UK)
Catalyst diversity in reductive electro-mediated photoredox – shining light on catalyst derivatives of DCA introduced via in situ formed Meisenheimer intermediates
17:25 Plenary Lecture
Prof Zachary Wickens (University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA)
Selective Synthesis using Light and Electricity
18:15 Closing Remarks and Wine Reception
For any queries, please contact Mohamed Elsherbini (m.elsherbini@bristol.ac.uk).