Personal statement
Originally from Sunderland, England, I completed a BSc in Chemistry at Durham University in 1997, before graduating with a PhD in adsorption science from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 2000. I undertook several post-doctoral research positions in Newcastle, and a one year lectureship in physical chemistry, before moving to the University of Strathclyde in 2008 to take up a lectureship in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering. I was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2015 and Professor in 2020.
I now lead a research team of six, with a focus on adsorption processes; this includes materials development and characterisation with applications from the removal of gas and liquid phase contaminants to gas storage and sensor development. Also interested in pedagogic research, I currently co-supervise a project aimed at developing skills for enhanced employability within engineering disciplines.
Teaching
I am the Deputy Head of Department for Teaching and Learning, which means that I am responsible for the strategic planning of teaching within the Department, assisting colleauges in the delivery of an excellent teaching experience for all of our students. My teaching duties include the full time courses of basic principles in chemical engineering (CP101), chemical principles (CP203), chemical engineering design (CP407) and the final year chemical engineering project (18530). I also teach on several distance learning modules: chemical engineering principles and thermodynamics (CP211), and MSc research project (CP936). In addition to this, I am have undertaken an MSc in advanced academic studies and a PhD in engineering education, which involved research projects that fit with my ongoing pedagogic research interests, which include the effects of peer tutelage, embedding skills for employability, course redesign and inclusive curricula.
Research interests
My current research involves the use of a range of nanoporous adsorbents, including activated carbon, zeolites and metal organic framework materials, with particular focus on the adsorption properties of such structures. Kinetics of adsorption are key to understanding the mechanisms involved in processes such as gas purification/separation, effluent removal and adsorbent recovery. The future direction of my work involves the development of nanoporous materials for use in biomedical applications. For example highly porous carbonaceous materials currently used in water purification processes for dialysis units require extensive improvement to reduce complications produced by persistent species (e.g. chloramines) that can contaminate patients’ blood, thus reducing associated therapeutic medication costs; or the removal of glycation end products for the reduction of diabetes in susceptible groups. Another area for future research is in bio-terrorism with the need for improved personal protection devices and integrated decontamination processes. These targets are all achievable by developing an appropriate nanoporous adsorbent possibly with tailored surface character.
Accepting PhD Student Applications in the following topics:
New methods for removal of pollutants from water
New methods of carbon capture using green materials
Professional activities
- PhD external examiner
- Examiner
- 12/5/2023
- PhD internal examiner
- Examiner
- 27/4/2023
- Lily Sabide
- Host
- 27/3/2023
- PhD external examiner
- Examiner
- 13/2/2023
- Determining the mechanism of metal-organic framework formation by non-invasive Raman spectroscopy
- Contributor
- 15/9/2022
- PhD convenor
- Examiner
- 29/7/2022
More professional activities
Projects
- Sustainable routes to membranes containing porous metal-organic materials
- Craig, Gavin (Principal Investigator) Fletcher, Ashleigh (Co-investigator)
- 15-Jan-2023 - 14-Jan-2026
- Understanding cooperative gas uptake in adaptable cage molecules
- Craig, Gavin (Principal Investigator) Fletcher, Ashleigh (Co-investigator)
- 03-Jan-2022 - 02-Jan-2025
- DTP 2224 University of Strathclyde | Harvey, Aidan
- Fletcher, Ashleigh (Principal Investigator) Craig, Gavin (Co-investigator) Harvey, Aidan (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2022 - 01-Jan-2025
- Hydro Nation RLF: Driving Down Process Emissions in Waste Water Treatment
- Fletcher, Ashleigh (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2021 - 31-Jan-2027
- Efficient utilization of biochar for water remediation and soil amendment - towards a circular economy
- Zhang, Xiaolei (Principal Investigator) Davidson, Christine (Co-investigator) Fletcher, Ashleigh (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2021 - 30-Jan-2025
- Biochar Water Remediation Research Project
- Fletcher, Ashleigh (Co-investigator) Zhang, Xiaolei (Principal Investigator) Davidson, Christine (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2021 - 30-Jan-2021
More projects
Address
Chemical and Process Engineering
James Weir
James Weir
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