Dr Adam Clayton

Profile

Academic Positions

• Associate Professor, School of Chemical and Process Engineering & School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, UK (2024-present)
• University Academic Fellow, School of Chemical and Process Engineering & School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, UK (2022-2024)

Research Positions

• Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow (2022-2027)
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, UK (2020-2022)

Education

• PhD, Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, UK (2016-2020)
• MChem (Hons), Chemistry, University of Huddersfield, UK (2012-2016)

Biography

Dr Adam Clayton comes from Huddersfield, in Yorkshire, and completed an MChem in Chemistry at the University of Huddersfield in 2016. He was then awarded an AstraZeneca CASE studentship to study a PhD with Professor Richard Bourne at the University of Leeds, working on the development of multiobjective self-optimising continuous flow reactors. He recieved his PhD in 2020 and then joined the Institute of Process Research and Development as a postdoctoral researcher to continue developing autonomous workflows for process optimisation. During this position he established new digital approaches to accelerate pharmaceutical process development and integrated these technologies within the labs of multiple industrial collaborators.

Dr Clayton was awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship in 2022 to investigate the ‘Autonomous Development of Telescoped Catalytic Reactions’ at the University of Leeds, where he has been an Associate Professor of Digital Chemistry since 2024. His research interests are focused on developing efficient and more sustainable multistep processes in continuous flow, principally for small molecule synthesis. To achieve this he designs and utilises machine learning algorithms to guide experimental campaigns performed on autonomous reactor platforms. Dr Clayton is also the Programme Manager for the MSc in Digital and Automated Chemistry course at the University of Leeds.

Responsibilities

• Programme Manager for MSc Digital and Automated Chemistry

Research interests

The group works at the interface of digital chemistry, machine learning and process engineering within the Institute of Process Research and Development at the University of Leeds. We are focused on advancing sustainable multistep synthesis of small molecules. Our interdisciplinary team develops and combines autonomous reactors and optimisation algorithms to explore a wide variety of multistep continuous flow processes. This approach combines advanced computational techniques with practical experimentation, enabling the seamless incorporation of digital methods into synthetic chemistry. We exploit these tools to primarily target the integration of different (photo-, bio-, chemo-) catalytic reactions into cascades, with the overall goal of reducing the carbon footprint of chemical manufacturing.

Grant: Accelerated Development of Pharmaceutical Processes Through Digitally Coupled Reaction Screening and Process Optimisation – EPSRC (EP/Z531339/1)

Grant: Digitalising the Development of Chemoenzymatic Cascades – EPSRC (EP/Y014839/1)

Grant: Holistic Self-Optimisation of Telescoped Flow Sequences to Reduce the Manufacturing Costs of Essential Medicines – BMGF

Fellowship: Autonomous Development of Telescoped Catalytic Reactions – RAEng (RF2122-21-200)

• Accelerated Development of Pharmaceutical Processes Through Digitally Coupled Reaction Screening and Process Optimisation
• Autonomous Development of Telescoped Catalytic Reactions
• Digitalising the Development of Chemoenzymatic Cascades

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering
• MChem in Chemistry

Student education

I teach a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, including organic synthesis, digital chemistry, sustainability and reaction engineering. I also supervise masters and final year projects across both schools, focusing on continuous flow and process optimisation. 

Professional recognition: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Research groups and institutes

• Institute for Process Research and Development