Dr Tom Swift
Assistant Professor
| Faculty/Dept/School |
School of Chemistry and Bioscience (Faculty of Life Sciences) |
|---|---|
| t.swift@bradford.ac.uk | |
| Telephone | +441274 235487 |
Biography
Lecturer in Polymer Chemistry
Dr Swift's research focuses on functional polymer materials; primarily stimuli responsive macromolecules which respond to their surroundings. He has an interest in developing new characterisation techniques to better understand these complex material systems.
He received a degree as a master of Chemistry (MChem Industry) from the University of York, having spent his fourth year at an industrial placement at AkzoNobel’s Decorative Paints division researching novel film functionality.
He began a PhD at the University of Sheffield where he specialised in stimuli responsive polymer synthesis and analysis, in a range of fields and applications including; fluorescence tagging, material characterisation, solution behavior of smart polymers and an understanding of water treatment processes. Practical experience with free radical, RAFT and ATRP methods of synthesising both linear polymers, branched polymers and hydrogels, extensive use of GPC techniques and time resolved fluorescence spectrometers.
He took up his post as Lecturer at the University of Bradford September 2016, originally as Lecturer in Polymer Characterisation before receiving a promotion to Lecturer in Polymer Chemistry in 2019. He was the Programme Lead for the BSc Chemistry Apprenticeship until January 2023, a level 6 training program for the Laboratory Scientist standard. He is also a co-investigator of the Project Cayman ERDF / Northern Powerhouse industrial collaboration funding designed to encourage access to academic expertise across the north of England.
Research
Polymer ChemistryDoctor Swift studied his PhD in polymer chemistry at the University of Sheffield. He has synthetic expertise in self condensing vinyl polymerisation, controlled polymerisation (RAFT, ATRP, Cationic ring opening polymerisation). Doctor Swift is particularly interested in controlling the size and architecture of functional polymer materials and this requires advanced techniques to control the rates and direction of polymerisation reactions.
Polymer Physics
I am particularly interested in polymers as stimuli responsive materials, and so do research into the complex physics that drive their solution or solid state behaviour. One recent research interest has been the discovery that the pH responsive solution behaviour of poly(acrylic acid) is driven by pH.
Materials Interactions
Polymers interact with a range of other materials and Dr Swift is interested in the way polymers interact with each other or other components in solution.
| Date | Role | Title / Description | Funder | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-SEP-19 - 01-SEP-21 | Primary Investigator | Time-Resolved Fluorescence Investigation of Polymer-Quenched Pyrene Labelled Stimuli Responsive Polymer Solutions with use as a Light Harvesting Accelerator | ||
| 02-SEP-18 - 01-SEP-19 | Primary Investigator | Examining Fundamental Issues in Isopropyl Oxazoline Cationic Ring Opening Polymer Synthesis | ||
| 07-MAY-17 - 01-SEP-19 | Primary Investigator | Solution Properties of Poly(oxazoline) materials |
Teaching
Teaching interests
Research led teaching - I train students to gain new abilities, skills and insight to develop themselves as excellent researchers.
Teaching highlights
In addition to this role I deliver on the following modules
CFS4026-D - Practical Chemistry 1 - Module leader (2016 - 2020)
CFS7018-B - Materials Characterisation (35% module load)
CFS7028-B - Imaging (50% module load)
CFS7023-E - Research Project - Advanced Investigations (Module Leader 2016 - )
Past:
CFS5018-B - Physical Chemistry 2 (Colloids content - 2020 only)
And I have offered student research supervision for projects in the following modules:
CFS7005-E - Stage Four Research Project (MChem)
CFS7023-E - Research Project - Advanced Investigations
BIS6026-D - Biomedical Science Research Project
BIS7005-E - Research Project (Biomedical Science)
ARC6025-D - Dissertation (Archeology)
| Year | Module code | Title | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFS7018-B | Materials Characterisation | ||
| CFS7019-B | Materials Characterisation (Distance Learning) | ||
| CFS7023-E | Research Project - Advanced Investigations |
Professional activities
- 01-JAN-10: University of York - MChem (Industry)
- 01-JAN-14: University of Sheffield - PhD
- 01-JAN-09: AkzoNobel - Research Scientist
- Royal Society of Chemistry, Member
- 01-DEC-17: Equality, Diversity and Opportunities Committee (EDOC),
- 30-SEP-20: Recent Appointees in Polymer Science,
- Bradford: Fellowship Mentor
- General Administration: Co-covener of School Athena SWAN application.
- Programme Leader: BSc Chemistry Apprenticeship
Publications
| Peer Reviewed Journal | |
|---|---|
| Title | Stabilisation of acrylic latexes containing silica nanoparticles for dirt repellent coating applications (2023) |
| Authors | Thomas Swift |
| Journal | Polymer |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.polymer.2023.125830 |
| Title | Investigation into the development of novel lanthanide-based luminescent colorants for application to textiles and paper materials (2023) |
| Authors | D M Lewis, P J Broadbent, M L A Rigout, C M Carr*, C C Seaton, and T Swift |
| Journal | Coloration Technology |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1111/cote.12675 |
| Title | Chain-Extendable Crosslinked Hydrogels Using Branching RAFT Modification (2023) |
| Authors | Stephen Rimmer, Paul Spencer, Davide Nocita, John Sweeney, Marcus Harrison and Thomas Swift |
| Journal | Gels (Basel, Switzerland) |
| DOI | 10.3390/gels9030235 |
| Title | Peristomal Skin Complications: New Materials Needed to Ease the Ostomy Care Market (2023) |
| Authors | Thomas Swift |
| Journal | British Journal of Dermatology |
| DOI | 10.1093/bjd/ljad006 |
| Title | Evaluation of ligand modified poly (N-Isopropyl acrylamide) hydrogel for etiological diagnosis of corneal infection (2022) |
| Authors | Thomas Swift, Sheila MacNeil, Stephen Rimmer, David Pownall, C. W. Ian Douglas, Prashant Garg, Nagaveni Shivshetty, Abigail Pinnock |
| Journal | Experimental Eye Research |
| DOI | 10.1016/J.EXER.2021.108881 |
| Title | Fluorescence spectroscopy analysis of fly ash removal from aqueous systems: adsorption of alginate to silica and alumina (2022) |
| Authors | Fateh Eltaboni, Sehaj Singh, Linda Swanson, Thomas Swift, Abdulraheem SA Almaki |
| Journal | RSC Soft Matter |
| DOI | 10.1039/D2SM00558A |
| Title | Interfacial Cocrystallization Using Oily Phase via Liquid−Liquid Phase Separation (2022) |
| Authors | M. Asim Sajid Al-Hanafi, Mhd Bashir Alsirawan, Colin C. Seaton, Thomas Swift, Sudhir Pagire, Venu R. Vangala, Adrian L. Kelly, and Anant Paradkar |
| Journal | CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN (ONLINE) |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.2c00263 |
| Title | Generation and Use of Functional Hydrogels That Can Rapidly Sample Infected Surfaces (2022) |
| Authors | Thomas Swift, Abigail Pinnock, Nagaveni Shivshetty, David Pownall, Sheila MacNeil, Ian Douglas, Prashant Garg, Stephen Rimmer |
| Journal | MethodsX |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108881 |
| Title | Branched amphotericin functional poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide): an antifungal polymer (2021) |
| Authors | Thomas Swift, Emily Caseley, Abbigail Pinnock, Joanna Shepherd, Nagaveni Shivshetty, Prashant Garg, C. W. Ian Douglas, Sheila MacNeil and Stephen Rimmer |
| Journal | Royal Society Open Science |
| DOI | 10.1098/rsos.201655 |
| Title | Development of a novel micro-bead force spectroscopy approach to measure the ability of a thermo-active polymer to remove bacteria from a corneal model (2021) |
| Authors | J. Pattem, T. Swift, S. Rimmer, T. Holmes, S. MacNeil & J. Shepherd |
| Journal | Scientific Reports |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41598-021-93172-1 |
| Title | Semi-interpenetrating Polyurethane Network Foams Containing Highly Branched Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) with Vancomycin Functionality (2021) |
| Authors | Thomas Swift, Richard Hoskins, John Hicks, Edward Dyson, Marc Daignault, Dorothy Buckle, C. W. Ian Douglas, Sheila MacNeil, and Stephen Rimmer |
| Journal | ACS Applied Biomaterials |
| DOI | 10.1021/acsabm.1c00116 |
| Title | Förster resonance energy transfer in fluorophore labeled poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)s† (2020) |
| Authors | Ronald Merck Thomas Swift, Ryan Rees, Joachim F. R. Van Guyse, Ella Schoolaert, Karen De Clerck, Heidi Ottevaere, Hugo Thienpont, Valentin Victor Jerca and Richard Hoogenboom |
| Journal | Journal of Materials Chemistry C |
| Publisher | Royal Society of Chemistry |
| DOI | 10.1039/D0TC02830D |
| Title | Effect of polymerisation by microwave on the physical properties of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) specific for caffeine (2020) |
| Authors | Heli A. Brahmbhatt, Alexander Surtees, Cavan Tierney, Oluwabukunmi A. Ige, Elena V. Piletska, Thomas Swift and Nicholas W. Turner |
| Journal | Polymer Chemistry |
| Publisher | Royal Society of Chemistry |
| DOI | 10.1039/D0PY00921K |
| Title | Developments in silicone technology for use in stoma care (2020) |
| Authors | Swift T.;Westgate G.;Van Onselen J.;Lee S. |
| Journal | British Journal of Nursing |
| DOI | 10.12968/bjon.2020.29.6.S6 |
| Title | Fluorescence Spectroscopy Analysis of Bacteria Mineral Interface Adsorption of Lipopolysaccharides to Silica and Alumina (2020) |
| Authors | Fateh El-Taboni, Emily Caseley, Maria Katsikogianni, Linda Swanson, Thomas Swift,* 4andMariaE.Romero-Gonzaĺez* |
| Journal | Langmuir |
| Publisher | American chemical society |
| DOI | doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b02158 |
| Title | A muscle mimetic polyelectrolyte–nanoclay organic–inorganic hybrid hydrogel: its self-healing, shape-memory and actuation properties (2019) |
| Authors | Banerjee, S.L.; Swift, Thomas; Hoskins, Richard; Rimmer, Stephen; Singha, N.K. |
| Journal | Journal of Materials Chemistry B |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1039/C8TB02852D |
| Title | Osteoinduction of 3D printed particulate and short-fibre reinforced composites produced using PLLA and apatite-wollastonite (2019) |
| Authors | Melo P.;Ferreira A.;Waldron K.;Swift T.;Gentile P.;Magallanes M.;Marshall M.;Dalgarno K. |
| Journal | Composites Science and Technology |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.compscitech.2019.107834 |
| Title | Short phosphate glass fiber - PLLA composite to promote bone mineralization (2019) |
| Authors | Priscila Melo, Emma Tarrant, Thomas Swift, Anthony Townshend, Matthew German, Ana-Marina Ferreira, Piergiorgio Gentile, Kenneth Dalgarno |
| Journal | Materials Science and Engineering C |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.msec.2019.109929 |
| Title | Highly-branched poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) functionalised with pendant Nile red and chain end vancomycin for the detection of Gram-positive bacteria (2019) |
| Authors | Swift, Thomas; Katsikogianni, Maria G.; Hoskins, Richard; Teratarantorn, P.; Douglas, I.; MacNeil, S.; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Journal | Acta Biomaterialia |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2019.01.066 |
| Title | Highly branched poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) functionalized with an inducer molecule suppresses quorum sensing in Chromobacterium violaceum (2019) |
| Authors | Shepherd, J.; Swift, Thomas; Chang, Chien-Yi; Boyne, J.R.; Rimmer, Stephen; Martin, William H.C. |
| Journal | Chemical Communications |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1039/C9CC02524C |
| Title | Highly-ordered onion micelles made from amphiphilic highly-branched copolymers (2018) |
| Authors | Canning, S.L.; Ferner, J.M.F.; Mangham, N.M.; Wear, T.J.; Reynolds, S.W.; Morgan, J.; Fairclough, J.P.A.; King, S.M.; Swift, Thomas; Geoghegan, M.; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Journal | Polymer Chemistry |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1039/C8PY00800K |
| Title | A self-healable fluorescence active hydrogel based on ionic block copolymers prepared via ring opening polymerization and xanthate mediated RAFT polymerization (2018) |
| Authors | Banerjee, S.L.; Hoskins, Richard; Swift, Thomas; Rimmer, Stephen; Singha, N.K. |
| Journal | Polymer Chemistry |
| DOI | doi.org/10.1039/C7PY01883E |
| Title | Segmental mobility studies of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) interactions with gold nanoparticles and its use as a thermally driven trapping system (2018) |
| Authors | Swift, Thomas; Rehman, K.; Surtees, Alexander P.H.; Hoskins, Richard; Hickey, Stephen G. |
| Journal | Macromolecular Rapid Communications |
| DOI | doi.org/10.1002/marc.201800090 |
| Title | Antibiotic functionalised polymers reduce bacterial biofilm and bioburden in a simulated infection of the cornea (2018) |
| Authors | Doroshenko, N.; Rimmer, Stephen; Hoskins, Richard; Garg, P.; Swift, Thomas; Spencer, H.L.M.; Lord, Rianne M.; Katsikogianni, Maria G.; Pownall, D.; MacNeil, S.; Douglas, C.W.I.; Shepherd, J. |
| Journal | Biomaterials Science |
| DOI | doi.org/10.1039/C8BM00201K |
| Title | Förster Resonance Energy Transfer across interpolymer complexes of poly(acrylic acid) and poly(acrylamide) (2017) |
| Authors | Swift, Thomas; Paul, N.; Swanson, L.; Katsikogianni, Maria G.; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Title | Analysis Using Size Exclusion Chromatography of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) using Methanol as an Eluent (2017) |
| Authors | Swift, Thomas; Hoskins, Richard; Telford, Richard; Plenderleith, R.A.; Pownall, David; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Journal | Journal of Chromatography A |
| DOI | doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2017.05.050 |
| Title | Pseudo electron-deficient organometallics: limited reactivity towards electron-donating ligands (2017) |
| Authors | Pitto-Barry, Anaïs; Lupan, A.; Zegke, Markus; Swift, Thomas; Attia, A.A.A.; Lord, Rianne M.; Barry, Nicolas P.E. |
| Journal | Dalton Transactions |
| DOI | doi.org/10.1039/C7DT02827J |
| Title | Poly(acrylic acid) interpolymer complexes (2017) |
| Authors | Swift, Thomas; Seaton, Colin C.; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Journal | RSC Soft Matter |
| Title | Binding of bacteria to poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) modified with vancomycin: Comparison of behavior of linear and highly branched polymers (2017) |
| Authors | Teratanatorn, P.; Hoskins, Richard; Swift, Thomas; Douglas, C.W.I.; Shepherd, J.; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Journal | Biomacromolecules |
| DOI | doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.7b00800 |
| Title | Core (Polystyrene)−Shell [Poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)] Particles (2017) |
| Authors | Mckenzie, A.; Hoskins, Richard; Swift, Thomas; Grant, Colin A.; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Journal | ACS APPLIED MATERIALS AND INTERFACES |
| DOI | doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b15004 |
| Title | The effect of hyperbranched poly(acrylic acid)s on the morphology and size of precipitated nanoscale (fluor)hydroxyapatite (2017) |
| Authors | Shallcross, L.; Roche, K.; Wilcock, C.J.; Stanton, K.T.; Swift, Thomas; Rimmer, Stephen; Hatton, P.V.; Spain, S.G. |
| Title | pH Responsive Highly Branched Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) with Trihistidine or Acid Chain Ends (2016) |
| Authors | Swift, Thomas; Lapworth, J.; Swindells, K.; Swanson, L.; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Journal | RSC Advances |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1039/C6RA13139E |
| Title | The pH-responsive behaviour of poly(acrylic acid) in aqueous solution is dependent on molar mass (2016) |
| Authors | Swift, Thomas; Swanson, L.; Geoghegan, M.; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Journal | RSC Soft Matter |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1039/C5SM02693H |
| Title | Measuring poly(acrylamide) flocculants in fresh water using inter-polymer complex formation (2015) |
| Authors | Swift, Thomas; Swanson, L.; Bretherick, A.; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Journal | Environmental Science: Water Research And Technology |
| DOI | doi.org/10.1039/C4EW00092G |
| Title | Poly(acrylic acid) interpolymer complexation: use of a fluorescence time resolved anisotropy as a poly(acrylamide) probe (2014) |
| Authors | Swift, Thomas; Swanson, L.; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Journal | RSC Advances |
| Title | Highly-branched poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)s with core-shell morphology below the lower critical solution temperature (2014) |
| Authors | Plenderleith, R.A.; Swift, Thomas; Rimmer, Stephen |
| Journal | RSC Advances |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1039/C4RA10076J |
| Book Chapters | |
|---|---|
| Title | pH Dependence of Acrylate-Derivative Polyelectrolyte Properties (2019) |
| Authors | Thomas Swift |
| Journal | Acrylate Polymers for Advanced Applications |
| Publisher | IntechOpen |
| DOI | 10.5772/intechopen.82569 |
| Conference Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thomas Swift |
| Authors | Thomas Swift, Richard Hoskins, Stephen Rimmer |
| Authors | Thomas Swift, Linda Swanson, Stephen Rimmer |
| Authors | Swift, Thomas, Stephen Rimmer, Linda Swanson |