Dr Adam Clayton

Adam graduated from the University of Huddersfield with a First in Chemistry (MChem) in 2016. During his undergraduate degree he undertook a one year placement in the lab of Prof. Joe Sweeney, developing novel catalytic methods for late-stage functionalisation of drug-like molecules. Adam completed his master’s project under the supervision of Dr Duncan Gill, working on the total synthesis of spiroquinazoline alkaloids. In 2020, Adam completed his Ph.D. (AstraZeneca CASE studentship) in Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Leeds, where he continued as a postdoctoral research associate until 2022, supervised by Prof. Richard Bourne. His doctoral and postdoctoral research were focused on the development of self-optimising continuous flow systems, carried out in collaboration with multinational pharmaceutical companies (AstraZeneca, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, UCB). Adam was awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship in 2022 to investigate the autonomous development of multistep continuous flow syntheses and telescoped catalytic reactions. Following this, he became a University Academic Fellow in Process Research and Development at the University of Leeds.

https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/chemical-engineering/staff/8364/dr-adam-clayton

Publications

  1. KERSHAW, O. J.; CLAYTON, A. D.; MANSON, J. A.; BARTHELME, A.; PAVEY, J.; PEACH, P.; MUSTAKIS, J.; HOWARD, R. M.; CHAMBERLAIN, T. W.; WARREN, N. J.; BOURNE, R. A. Machine learning directed multi-objective optimization of mixed variable chemical systems. Chemical Engineering Journal v. 451, p. 138443, 2023.

  2. AVILA, C.; CASSANI, C.; KOGEJ, T.; MAZUELA, J.; SARDA, S.; CLAYTON, A. D.; KOSSENJANS, M.; GREEN, C.; BOURNE, R. A. Automated stopped-flow library synthesis for rapid optimisation and machine learning directed experimentation. Chemical Science, DOI: 10.1039/D2SC03016K, 2022.

  3. MÜLLER, P.; CLAYTON, A. D.; MANSON, J.; RILEY, S.; MAY, O. S.; GOVAN, N.; NOTMAN, S.; LEY, S. V.; CHAMBERLAIN, T. W.; BOURNE, R. A. Automated multi-objective reaction optimisation: which algorithm should I use? Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, v. 7, p. 987-993, 2022.

  4. POWER, L. A.; CLAYTON, A. D.; REYNOLDS, W. R.; HOSE, D. R. J.; AINSWORTH, C.; CHAMBERLAIN, T. W.; NGUYEN, B. N.; BOURNE, R. A.; KAPUR, N.; BLACKER, A. J. Selective separation of amines from continuous processes using automated pH controlled extraction. Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, v. 6, p. 1806-1810, 2021.

  5. BAYANA, M.; BLACKER, A. J.; CLAYTON, A. D.; JOLLEY, K. E.; LABES, R.; TAYLOR, C. J.; REYNOLDS, W. A practical experiment to teach students continuous flow and physico-chemical methods: Acetylation of ethylene diamine in liquid bi-phase. Journal of Flow Chemistry, v. 11, p. 31-36, 2021.

  6. CLAYTON, A. D.; LABES, R.; BLACKER, A. J. Combination of chemocatalysis and biocatalysis in flow. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, v. 26, p. 100378, 2020.

  7. CLAYTON, A. D.; POWER, L. A.; REYNOLDS, W. R.; AINSWORTH, C.; HOSE, D. R. J.; JONES, M. F.; CHAMBERLAIN, T. W.; BLACKER, A. J.; BOURNE, R. A. Self-optimising reactive extractions: towards the efficient development of multi-step continuous flow processes. Journal of Flow Chemistry, v. 10, p. 199-206, 2020.

  8. CLAYTON, A. D.; SCHWEIDTMANN, A. M.; CLEMENS, G.; MANSON, J. A.; TAYLOR, C. J.; NIÑO, C. G.; CHAMBERLAIN, T. W.; KAPUR, N.; BLACKER, A. J.; LAPKIN, A. A.; BOURNE, R. A. Automated self-optimisation of multi-step reaction and separation processes using machine learning. Chemical Engineering Journal, v. 384, p. 123340, 2020.

  9. MANSON, J. A.; CLAYTON, A. D.; NIÑO, C. G.; LABES, R.; CHAMBERLAIN, T. W.; BLACKER, A. J.; KAPUR, N.; BOURNE, R. A. A hybridised optimisation of an automated photochemical continuous-flow reactor. CHIMIA, v. 73, p. 817-822, 2019.

  10. CLAYTON, A. D.; MANSON, J. A.; TAYLOR, C. J.; CHAMBERLAIN, T. W.; TAYLOR, B. A.; CLEMENS, G.; BOURNE, R. A. Algorithms for the self-optimisation of chemical reactions. Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, v. 4, p. 1545-1554, 2019.

  11. MARTÍNEZ-CARRIÓN, A.; HOWLETT, M.; ALAMILLO-FERRER, C.; CLAYTON, A. D.; BOURNE, R. A.; CODINA, A.; VIDAL-FERRAN, A.; ADAMS, R. W.; BURÉS, J. Kinetic treatments for catalyst activation and deactivation processes based on variable time normalization analysis. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, v. 58, p. 10189-10193, 2019. 

  12. SCHWEIDTMANN, A. M.; CLAYTON, A. D.; HOLMES, N.; BRADFORD, E.; BOURNE, R. A.; LAPKIN, A. A. Machine learning meets continuous flow chemistry: Automated optimization towards the Pareto front of multiple objectives. Chemical Engineering Journal, v. 352, p. 277-282, 2018. 

  13. DOHERTY, S.; KNIGHT, J. G.; BACKHOUSE, T.; BRADFORD, A.; SAUNDERS, F.; BOURNE, R. A.; CHAMBERLAIN, T. W.; STONES, R.; CLAYTON, A. D.; LOVELOCK, K. Highly efficient aqueous phase reduction of nitroarenes catalyzed by phosphine-decorated polymer immobilized ionic liquid stabilized PdNPs. Catalysis Science & Technology, v. 8, p. 1454-1467, 2018.

  14. CHAPMAN, M. R.; KWAN, M. H. T.; KING, G.; JOLLEY, K. E.; HUSSAIN, M.; HUSSAIN, S.; SALAMA, I. E.; NIÑO, C. G.; THOMPSON, L. A.; BAYANA, M. E.; CLAYTON, A. D.; NGUYEN, B. N.; TURNER, N. J.; KAPUR, N.; BLACKER, A. J. Simple and versatile laboratory scale CSTR for multiphasic continuous-flow chemistry and long residence times. Organic Process Research & Development, v. 21, p. 1294-1301, 2017.

  15. ABDULLA, O.; CLAYTON, A. D.; FAULKNER, R. A.; GILL, D. M.; RICE, C. R.; WALTON, S. M.; SWEENEY, J. B. Catalytic sp3-sp3 functionalisation of sulfonamides: Late-stage modification of drug-like molecules. Chemistry - A European Journal, v. 23, p. 1494-1497, 2017.