Paul Watts's Biography

Paul Watts, Distinguished Professor and Research Chair, Nelson Mandela University

Prof Paul Watts started his career as a lecturer at the University of Hull in 2002, being promoted to full professor in 2011. At the University of Hull he led the micro reactor and flow technology group. In February 2013, he moved to Nelson Mandela University to hold the Distinguished Professorship and Research Chair in Microfluidic Bio/Chemical Processing. He has published of over 120 highly cited papers. He strongly believes that scientists should conduct research that impacts society; the biggest project underway involves the local production of key drugs as the morbidity and mortality from major diseases are much more devastating in Africa than in other regions of the world. The vision is that new technology will be used within South Africa to manufacture generic drugs; this could create jobs and a new manufacturing industry within the country.

Continuous Flow Synthesis of APIs

Friday, 18 March 2022 at 08:30

Add to Calendar ▼2022-03-18 08:30:002022-03-18 09:30:00Europe/LondonContinuous Flow Synthesis of APIsFlow Chemistry Summit 2022 in Boston, USABoston, USASELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com

When micro reactor technology was first introduced it was seen as a research and development tool suitable for small scale production, however it is now being used to produce large quantities of product. The key driver in these examples being safety, where the excellent mixing and heat transfer characteristics of micro structured reactors enables these highly exothermic reactions to be safely performed. There is now a plethora of commercial reactors on the market, which means that most companies are investigating this technology to rapidly screen reactions utilizing continuous flow, leading to the identification of reaction conditions that are suitable for use at a production level. The inherent safety associated with the use of small reactor volumes enables users to employ reaction conditions previously thought to be too hazardous for use within a production environment; such as extreme reaction conditions or the use of hazardous compounds. Consequently, the types of reactions available to the R&D chemist increases through the use of this technology. It is this system flexibility that has the potential to reduce both the time taken and risk associated with transferring reaction methodology from research to production. A selection of reactions demonstrated using this technology will be outlined.

Add to Calendar ▼2022-03-17 00:00:002022-03-18 00:00:00Europe/LondonFlow Chemistry Summit 2022Flow Chemistry Summit 2022 in Boston, USABoston, USASELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com

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