The people working in and with the BonLab are a dynamic mixture with backgrounds in chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, biology, mathematics, engineering and manufacturing.

Stefan A. F. Bon is a full professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Warwick. He has studied chemical engineering at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TUe) in the Netherlands (cum laude, 1989-1993). He did his Ph.D. (1993-1998) in the polymer chemistry group of prof.dr.ir. Anton L. German at TUe, after which he worked as a post-doctoral research assistant in the group of prof. David M. Haddleton at the University of Warwick (1998-2000). He was appointed as Unilever Lecturer in Polymer Chemistry at the University of Warwick in January 2001. During this period of research he focussed on the mechanistic aspects of living radical polymerisation in both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems, including the first ever living radical polymerization performed in emulsion. 

In 2005 Stefan Bon shifted his research interests from reversible deactivation radical polymerization to supracolloidal chemical engineering, looking at the design of assembled supracolloidal structures and the synthesis of their colloidal and macromolecular building blocks. One of the key accomplishments was the use of Pickering stabilisation as a tool in mini-emulsion and emulsion polymerization strategies.

Stefan Bon continues to innovate in the area of polymer and colloid science with his scientific team, BonLab (https://bonlab.info). They combine polymer and colloid chemistry with soft matter physics and add a chemical engineering twist. The gained know-how is then coupled to material properties and behaviour with the aim to advance material design, often in close collaboration with industry. In the last few years, a “green transformation” on approaching and tackling scientific projects has been undertaken with a strong emphasis on sustainable technology and innovation, which now sits centrally in BonLab's research activities. 

At Warwick University he is the founder and chair of the Polymer Club, an international industrial consortium.

Stefan Bon is passionate about education. He is a 2021 recipient of an individual Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence (WATE) [read more].

He is a Fellow of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). He is a current member 2020- of the physical Newton international fellowship committee of the Royal Society. He sits on the advisory board of two of the Royal Society of Chemistry scientific journals, RSC Applied Polymers and Soft Matter.

He is an invited member, the 2013-2015 chair of the International Polymer Colloids Group (IPCG), and the founder and host of the 2020 COVID19 i-PCG webinar series. Bon has been visiting professor at the university Claude Bernard Lyon I (spring 2014) and visiting professor at the University of Tasmania (summer 2014). Stefan Bon was awarded the 2015-2016 Royal Society of Chemistry Materials Division Outreach Lecturer.

Josh Davies

4th year PhD researcher

Josh joined BonLab in October 2019 as an undergraduate researcher alongside his studies. Josh graduated with a first-class BSc degree in Chemistry from the University of Warwick in 2021. During this time he worked on (1) utilising emulsion polymerization as a tool to encapsulate pigments and (2) investigating the use of macromonomers as reactive polymeric stabilisers in mini-emulsion polymerization.

In October 2021, he started his PhD project working on oil-based colloidal systems trying to unravel the soft matter physics of responsive gels and dynamic interacting macromolecular solutions.

In his free time, Josh enjoys rock climbing and bouldering, as well as being an avid lover of cars!

Alex Fletcher

4th year PhD researcher

Alex graduated from the University of Warwick in June 2021 with a BSc in Chemistry (1st Class Honours).

In October 2021, Alex joined BonLab with a research project focusing on biodegradable polyester water-based dispersions, with an aim of finding an alternative to traditional polyacrylate emulsions used in coatings and adhesives.

In his free time, Alex enjoys cooking, reading, and playing video games.

Mars Poxon

2nd year phd researcher

Mars graduated from the University of Warwick in July of 2023 with a BSc in biochemistry. In  2022 they undertook a summer project within Bonlab exploring the effect of molecular weight on pressure-sensitive adhesives formed by emulsion polymerisation. Upon rejoining the lab now as a PhD student, Mars’ project is centred around exploring the dynamics, fate, and biodegradability of nanoplastics within freshwater environments.
In their free time, Mars enjoys bird watching, crocheting, and woodwork. 

Yutong Niu

1st year phd researcher

Yutong graduated with a BEng in Polymer Materials and Engineering from Hebei University of Technology (2018-2022, China). He continued his studies in polymer science and graduated with an MSc in Polymer Chemistry from the University of Warwick (2022-2023). His dissertation was on sustainable polymer chemistry using electrosynthesis. He joined BonLab at the start of January 2024 as a PhD researcher.

His research focusses on the synthesis of bio-based and functionalized polyether polyols. The idea is to unravel the polymerization mechanism to get control of polymer composition and architecture, and to explore new catalytic systems. The physical and mechanical properties of the polymers and formulations will also be investigated. The project is carried out in collaboration with Covestro.

Zhebin “Jerry” Jiang

1st year phd researcher

Zhebin joined BonLab in April 2024 as an MSc Polymer and Analytical Science project student. He starts his PhD studies in September 2024 where he will work on reconfigurable dynamic colloidal thermoset systems.

Liming Li

1st year PhD researcher

Li Liming obtained his bachelor's degree in Functional Materials from Donghua University, China, in 2022, where his research focused on machine learning applications, chemical synthesis, and electrospinning techniques. In 2023, he commenced his master's studies in Polymer Science at the University of Warwick, applying neural networks to predict molecular properties and advancing the integration of artificial intelligence in chemistry research. Upon completing his master's degree, he joined BonLab in September 2024 as a PhD researcher. His project will involve the investigation of small molecule eutectic glasses and melts with “plastic"-like” features.
In his free time, Li enjoys walking and exploring new and old electronic products.

Bowen Qian

1st year PhD researcher

Bowen will join us at the end of 2024. His research project aims to take a sustainable approach and investigate the introduction of natural and bio-derived Pickering stabilizers to replace surfactant molecules in the design of water-based formulation products.

Chengyu Zheng

MRes Researcher

Chengyu graduated from the University of Glasgow in June of 2023 with a BEng in Biomedical Engineering.

In September 2024, Chengyu joined BonLab as a MRes student. His research is focussed on taking a sustainable approach and investigates the introduction of bio-based design elements in gels so that they can be programmed, have the ability to communicate, and regulate their storage and release profiles.

In his free time, Chengyu enjoys cooking, skiing, as well as watching sports, such as football and Formula 1 racing. He also has a vast interest in music of different kinds.

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Anjali Manoj

undergraduate researcher

I started my journey at the university of Warwick in the year 2023 as an undergraduate student. Having previously studied Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics at Sixth Form, I chose to pursue my interest in Chemistry at Warwick. Since I have not experienced Chemistry research, in much depth, I decided to join BonLab carry out a 2024 summer project on Dynamic Sustainable Alkyds and Polyesters for Coatings and Adhesives.

During my free time, I enjoy reading, playing badminton and drawing.

Neil Prabhakar

undergraduate researcher

Neil is a second-year undergraduate who joined the BonLab in November 2023 while pursuing his studies. His research is centred on the phase behaviour of synthetic poly(vinyl acetate)-based copolymers in hydrocarbon solvents. He plans to continue this work as a URSS student in the summer of 2024. Beyond his research, Neil is passionate about education; having tutored for years, and currently supervises in the labs as part of a outreach initiative between the BHCG and a local school. In addition to his academic pursuits, Neil is a gigging musician, proficient on the tenor sax and bass guitar, and enjoys cooking in his spare time.

Alumni PhDs

32. Emily Brodgen (awaiting PhD viva)

31. Yuanzhi Li

30. Joshua Ryan

29. Wai Hin Lee

28. Sarah-Jayne McGinley

27. Josh Booth

26. Matt Donald

25. Sam Wilson-Whitford

24. Abiodun Aderibigbe (co-supervised prof. Andrew Clark’s group)

23. Andrea Lotierzo

22. Brooke Longbottom

21. Ross Jaggers

20. Robert Bell

19. Robert Young 

18. Holly Roebuck (McKenzie)

17. Rong Chen

16. Adam Morgan

15. Thomas Skelhon

14. Yunhua Chen

13. Gabit Nurumbetov

12. Nicholas Ballard

11. Andrew Edwards

10. Andrew Ross (co-supervised prof. Andrew Clark’s group)

9. Attyah Alzhrani

8. Roberto Teixeira

7. Richard Cave

6. Catheline Colard

5. Patrick Colver

4. Christopher Parmenter

3. Charlene Wager

2. Dianne Youngman

1. Laurence Georges Dit-Rap

Alumni Post Docs

13. Sam Wilson-Whitford

12. Brooke Longbottom

11. Ross Jaggers

10. Baolei Zhu

9. Corinna Preuss (International Newton Fellow)

8. Yunhua Chen 

7. Catherine Cooper

6. Andrew Ross

5. Adam Morgan

4. Nadia Grossiord

3. Nicole Jagielski

2. Tao Chen

1. Severine Cauvin

Alumni MRes/MPhil/Research Fellows

8. Naemah Md Noor (awaiting submission of thesis)

7. Ruifeng Luo (MRes)

6. Caterina Dasmi (MRes)

5. Douglas Soutar (Research Fellow)

4. Patrik Olsson (MPhil)

3. Jacob Punter (MRes)

2. Andrés Richards (MRes)

1. Christopher Parkins (MRes)