Introducing your new Chairman & Secretary of the UK QSAR & Chemoinformatics Group…….
2012……The year of the London Olympics, the Diamond Jubilee and …..drum roll…..the year the Group needed to appoint a new Chair & Secretary! For the last few years, Brad Sherborne and Andrew Leach have ably and enthusiastically embraced these roles, and we are all extremely grateful to them for their hard work, effort and commitment. But the rolling stone of time rumbles onwards, and the rules say we need new posteriors to fill these seats. The Committee elected Andrew Leach as Chair and John Delaney as Secretary. Both are of course very familiar to many members, with Andrew having previously served as Secretary and John having been on the Committee for some time, but how much do we really know about these new Servants of the Society? We thought we’d conduct some searching interviews to get to know these guys a little better…….
Naturally, we congratulate both Andrew & John on their new roles, we thank them for volunteering for these positions and wish them every success.
The New Chair: Andrew Leach
Most recent occupation: Computational Chemist at AstraZeneca, Alderley Park
- What inspired you to work in computational chemistry?
I would describe my path to being a computational chemist as more of a random stagger than an inspired mission! - Can you briefly describe your career history?
I went off to Cambridge when I was 18 intending to be chemical engineer but for the first two years of that course you either study natural sciences or engineering. I chose the former and then never got round to changing so ended up in chemistry. I did a project with Jonathan Goodman in my final year and then stayed on to do a PhD with Steve Ley in synthetic chemistry. After that I went back to computation and did a post doc with Ken Houk at UCLA. On returning to the UK I joined AZ as a computational chemist and have been there ever since. - How do you think computational chemistry/chemoinformatics most benefits pharmaceutical research?
By doing its best to make sure that no experimental effort is wasted on things that we could have predicted would not be worth the effort. - What do you think the key areas will be for the future of computational chemistry/chemoinformatics?
I have always felt that the key gap in our toolbox is modelling how molecules interact with their environment whether that is a protein, solvent, membranes, crystal lattice or anything else. - How can we inspire new students to take up the discipline?
I fear that I am not sure that it is currently fair on students to try and do this (see below). - How do you see career prospects for modellers in the coming years?
Certainly within the drug discovery context I fear the prospects are pretty bad and geographically extremely localized. - What role do you envisage for the UK QSAR & Chemoinformatics Group in the next few years?
Although the old BT motto is a rather trivial way of summarising it, I think its effective: Its good to talk. I think we have always been a great forum for connecting the various computational chemists employed in lots of sectors and I hope that we continue to do that as computational chemistry is deployed in the new organisations that I hope will crop up. We need to make sure that we keep our eyes open as the industrial science base of the UK evolves. - What is your favourite hobby when you’re not working?
I’m a brass band player. I currently play tenor horn with Sale Brass Band. - How cheesed off do you get at being confused with “The Other Andrew Leach” and how often does it happen??!
Far from being cheesed off, Andrew has been a great person to be confused with although sadly the confusion happens less and less these days! - How do you eat a Cadbury’s Crème Egg?
Rarely. - Marmite or peanut butter?
Neither. Bleurgh.
The New Secretary: John Delaney
Current occupation: Syngenta, Jealott’s Hill
- What inspired you to work in computational chemistry?
Bill Mackie (Leeds Uni) telling me how lysozyme works at my undergraduate interview (1982). - Can you briefly describe your career history?
Biophysics at Leeds, straight to a job at ICI Plant Protection Division at Jealott’s Hill after graduating (1986). An illusion of career progression has been maintained by the company changing its name every 7-8 years. - How do you think computational chemistry/chemoinformatics most benefits crop protection research?
We often find that relatively “simple” stuff like physical property prediction and statistical analysis of in-vivo data can have a huge impact on crop protection research. Just wrestling the data into a tractable form for QSAR etc. is very valuable. - What do you think the key areas will be for the future of computational chemistry/chemoinformatics?
Better physics and better stats (to cover the shortfalls in the physics!). I think there’s a huge opportunity in better understanding time dependences in compound optimisation – is the order compounds are made important? - How can we inspire new students to take up the discipline?
Believe that the science can make a difference and communicate that belief … by giving a talk at a UK QSAR meeting. - How do you see career prospects for modellers in the coming years?
Tricky – big pharma is changing and it’s not clear what that’s going to do to the employment landscape. I’d come back to the point above – if the science is truly useful, someone will pay you to do it. - There are a few John Delaneys around (though none of them are computational chemists it would seem!). Do you ever get confused with any of them?
Well, between my other roles as head of the Irish FA, mayor of Jacksonville, prediction market entrepreneur, hurler and oceanographer I don’t have time to worry about it. - What is your favourite hobby when you’re not working?
Playing guitar (badly) and Gran Turismo 4 (brilliantly). - How do you eat a Cadbury’s Crème Egg?
Two big bites – gone! - Marmite or peanut butter?
Peanut butter.
News – Committee Changes
In addition to the above changes, there have been a few more modifications to the make-up of the Organising Committee in recent months.
After many years serving on the Committee, Peter Gedeck and Mark Cronin have decided to stand down. We thank them both for their considerable contributions, and in turn welcome Peter Hunt (Novartis) to the Committee.