Members of the Vilar Research Group

Academic Staff
Photo Member
  Prof. Ramon Vilar  

Prof. Ramon Vilar

Contact

Ramon is Professor of Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry. He is the group leader; further information about him can be found in his personal webpage
 
Summary of the table's contents
 
Postdoctoral Research Associates
 Tim Kench

Dr Tim Kench

I joined the group as a PhD student in October 2017 and I am currently a postdoctoral research associate. My project aims at developing molecules that target different DNA and RNA topologies. As part of my project, I am developing novel platforms for the high-throughput synthesis and screening of the new compounds.

Dr. Jamie Gravell

I joined the group in September 2024 as a postdoctoral research associate in Optical Imaging, after a PhD using confocal microscopy to detect magnetic field effects on the photochemical reactions of biological and solid-state systems under the supervision of Prof. Christiane Timmel and Prof. Peter Hore. My project will focus on studying the aggregation and liquid-liquid phase separation of α-synuclein using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, under the co-supervision of Prof. Marina Kuimova and Dr. Francesco Aprile.

Dr. Molly Bartlett

I joined the group as a PhD student in 2020 working on the development of photoactive platinum(II) salphen anti-cancer agents. I have since become a postdoctoral research associate in the department of mathematics with Prof. Barahona, co-supervised by Prof. Ramon Vilar. My postdoc is focused on the development of machine learning models to aid the discovery of new antibiotics as part of the Fleming Initiative.

Dr. Dan Wang

I joined the group in January 2026 as a visiting postdoctoral researcher. My project focuses on developing optical probes for G quadruplex DNA detection through Fluorescence/Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy technology.

Dr. Elena de la Torre Rubio

I joined the group in March 2026 as a visiting postdoctoral researcher. My project is focused on developing selective metal-based optical probes using Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy technology and photodegraders for RNA G4 via high-throughput synthesis and screening to obtain new platforms for the study of RNA G4 biology.
 
Summary of the table's contents
Students
Photo Member
   

Wilson Wu

I joined the group in October 2021 as part of a MRes/PhD program from the Centre for Doctoral Training in Next Generation Synthesis and Reaction Technology. My project aims at synthesising novel chemical receptors for anionic species (e.g. oxoanions) with the aid of machine learning. My project is co-supervised by Dr. Phil Miller (Chemistry) and Prof. Sophia Yaliraki (Chemistry).
 

Erin Lin

I joined the group in January 2022 to carry out my MRes project which has now continued into a PhD. My research aims to use a novel immuno-PCR platform to study the aggregation of amyloid-beta peptides. I am co-supervised by Dr. Francesco Aprile.

Nicole Christou

I joined in October 2022 as a PhD student as part of the Institute of Chemical Biology PhD program. My project focuses on the role of pathological post-translational modifications on the function and druggability of amyloid-beta oligomers in Alzheimer's disease at both structural and single-molecule levels. I am co-supervised by Dr. Francesco Aprile (Chemistry) and Dr. Liming Ying (Medicine).

Nicole Fitikides

I joined the group in October 2021 to carry out my MRes project and started my PhD in 2023. My research is focused on developing a new imaging tool for studying the liquid-liquid phase separation of α-synuclein and its role in Parkinson's disease. My project is co-supervised by Dr. Francesco Aprile and Prof. Marina Kuimova.

Bronwyn Griffiths

I joined the group in 2023 as a MRes/PhD student on the Institute of Chemical Biology Centre for Doctoral Training program. My project aims to synthesise optical probes to be used with encoded aptamers for imaging RNA in live cells. My project is co-supervised by Prof. Marina Kuimova (Chemistry) and Prof. David Rueda (Medicine).

Xiaojian Qu

Before joining Imperial, I obtained my MRes at UCL, where I synthesised radiochemical precursors and reference compounds for tritium labelling and evaluated post-mortem brain cryosections to support the development of PET radiotracers for neuroimaging. I began my PhD in October 2023 in Prof. Eric Aboagye's group (Surgery and Cancer) and joined the Vilar Research Group in September 2024 as part of a collaboration. My project focuses on the design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel multispecific PET radiotracers to address cancer heterogeneity.

Sewon Lim

I joined the group in September 2025 as part of a PhD program from the Centre for Doctoral Training in Chemical Biology. My project focuses on developing novel phototoxic metal complexes as anticancer drugs.

Roddy J Macaulay

I joined the group in October 2025 as part of the EPSRC CDT in Chemical Biology. My project looks at developing automated workflows for direct-to-biology discovery of kinase-targeting PROTACs. I am also supervised by Prof. James Bull (chemistry) and Prof. David Mann (life sciences).

Chenyang Wang

I joined the group in September 2025 as part of a PhD program from the Centre for Doctoral Training in Chemical Biology. My project is dedicated to designing novel metal complexes with the dual objective of targeting G-quadruplex (G4) DNA for detection and cleavage, and serving as a platform for radio conjugation.

Mack C H Sung

I joined the group in 2026 as part of the ICB CDT. My research focuses on developing photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents capable of inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD), as well as exploring bioconjugation strategies to enhance their therapeutic potential.

Vedant Hinduja

I joined the group in October 2026 as part of the EPSRC CDT in Chemical Biology. My project focuses on using high-throughput chemistry and direct-to-biology workflows for the discovery of PROTACs. I am co-supervised by Prof. James Bull (Chemistry).

Felicia Lim

I joined the group in October 2026 for my final year MSci project. My project focuses on developing heteroleptic Ir complexes for use as photosensitizers in cancer photodynamic therapy.

Lily Wang

I joined the group in October 2026 as an MSci student. My project focuses on the synthesis of inhibitor complexes and chemical probes for protein aggregation, and the investigation of these compounds in protein liquid-liquid phase separation.

Sammi Lai

I joined the group in October 2026 for the final year of my MSci in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry. My project focuses on the synthesis and evaluation of platinum(II)-salphen complexes as optical probes, photodegraders, or both, for G-quadruplex DNA.
 
Summary of the table's contents

 

Contact:

Professor Ramon Vilar
Department of Chemistry
Imperial College London
Molecular Sciences Research Hub
White City Campus
82 Wood Lane
London W12 0BZ
 
Email: r.vilar@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)20 7594 1967

More from the group

The Group

Vilar group