Chasing targets that had no right to exist

Conrad undertook his undergraduate studies at The University of Manchester (2009–2013), finding a passion for inorganic chemistry in his final year while working with Dr Michael J. Ingleson on the synthesis of boronium cations. The challenge of isolating these ferociously air- and moisture-sensitive boron compounds inspired him to chase after targets that others thought "had no right to exist" — be that low coordination numbers, unusual oxidation states, or simply using highly radioactive elements on tiny scales.

After completing a PhD under Dr David P. Mills (2013–2017), Conrad's interest in f-elements was solidified. Following a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Los Alamos National Laboratory (2018–2021), he took up a Royal Society University Research Fellowship at The University of Manchester (2021–2026). This project aims to further develop U.K. expertise in transuranium science, with a particular focus on unusual bonding and oxidation states.

Increasingly no longer found at the face of a fume cupboard, Conrad is now to be found reading obscure journal articles and pondering new and wilder ligands to stick to f-elements — seeking to make them less comfortable, and to tease out new chemistry or physics from this fascinating area of the periodic table.