{"id":7157,"date":"2017-03-31T09:00:16","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T08:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/?p=7157"},"modified":"2017-03-31T11:31:15","modified_gmt":"2017-03-31T10:31:15","slug":"reactions-elaine-oreilly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/2017\/03\/reactions-elaine-oreilly.html","title":{"rendered":"Reactions: Elaine O’Reilly"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"oreilly\"<\/a>Elaine O\u2019Reilly is in the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham<\/a>, and works on the development of biocatalysts and biocatalytic methodology.<\/p>\n

1. What made you want to be a chemist?<\/em><\/p>\n

I originally went to University to study genetics, having been fascinated with Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution and natural selection from a young age. During my degree at University College Dublin, I took chemistry as one of four choices in first year with the intention of dropping it as soon as possible. I would love to say that the subject captivated me from the onset but in reality, I really struggled with it. Thanks largely to help from one of my lecturers (Prof. Earle Waghorne \u2013 thank you!) and a good group of friends, I managed to scrape by. It was in second year that I started to really enjoy chemistry and after spending time in a research lab in my final year, I realized that I was hooked.<\/p>\n

2. If you weren\u2019t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be \u2014\u00a0and why?<\/em><\/p>\n

I would love to be an actress on the West End! Aside from the fact that I can\u2019t sing or dance, I would be absolutely perfect! My mum, Phyllis, always told me I was a real \u2018abbey actor\u2019 when I was a child and I think I still am.<\/p>\n

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?<\/em><\/p>\n

We are trying to develop biocatalysts that will convert abundant materials into high-value chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Our overall aim is that we will have a \u2018toolbox\u2019 of (engineered) enzymes available for a much wider range of synthetic transformations, with a particular focus on those that are challenging or impossible using a more traditional chemical approach. My ambition is for our research to make a real difference in peoples’ lives and if we achieved this directly with our science, I could retire happy. However, perhaps on a smaller scale, I try to be a good mentor to the next generation of scientists, who have the ability to make a powerful impact on people\u2019s lives. I like to think I do the best I can for students who choose to work in my laboratory with the hope that they will become far more capable scientists than I am and truly make a difference.<\/p>\n

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with \u2014 and why?<\/em><\/p>\n

I suspect that he gets a lot of fantasy dinner invites, but it would have to be Charles Darwin. His work has fascinated me for many years and I would love to hear how his theories and ideas were carved out. His research not only directly inspires the work we undertake in our laboratory (directed evolution and protein redesign), but has shaped the way we all look at the world around us.<\/p>\n

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab \u2014 and what was it?<\/em><\/p>\n

I have been on maternity leave since August 2016 so between that and being pregnant, I have mostly avoided the lab. The last time I was active was in 2015 and I was trying to develop a high-throughput screening strategy to enable the directed evolution of transaminase biocatalysts. This involved synthesizing some diamines, which should have been easy (it wasn\u2019t). I have since passed the task over to one of my students.<\/p>\n

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?<\/em><\/p>\n

I would take How to Survive on a Desert Island<\/em>\u2019 by Tim O\u2019Shei and Michael Jackson\u2019s Off the Wall<\/em>.<\/p>\n

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions \u2014 and why?<\/em><\/p>\n

I would like to see Prof. Donald Hilvert interviewed. His group is doing some inspiring work in a similar area to our own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elaine O\u2019Reilly is in the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, and works on the development of biocatalysts and biocatalytic methodology.  Read more<\/a> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96213,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reactions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96213"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7157\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}