![Alison Paul MRSC AFHEA](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/5884?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Alison Paul
MRSC AFHEA
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Alison Paul
Reader in Physical Chemistry and Innovation
Publication
2025
- Pym, D. et al., 2025. Micro-rheology and co-stream microfluidics reveal critical contributions of platelet concentrate components to blood platelet integrity in storage. BioNanoScience 16 (1) 25. (10.1007/s12668-025-02288-5)
2023
- Ahmed, Y. et al. 2023. Synthesis of barium hexaferrite nano-platelets for ethylene glycol ferrofluids. Journal of Materials Chemistry C 11 (45), pp.16066-16073. (10.1039/D3TC03833E)
- Young, T. B. et al. 2023. Chemically recyclable fluorescent polyesters via the ring-opening copolymerization of epoxides and anhydrides. Polymer Chemistry (10.1039/D3PY00209H)
2022
- Fernández, Y. et al., 2022. In vivo Antitumor and ametastatic efficacy of a polyacetal-based paclitaxel conjugate for prostate cancer therapy. Advanced Healthcare Materials 11 (7) 2101544. (10.1002/adhm.202101544)
2021
- Jones, C. L. et al. 2021. Exploiting in-situ NMR to monitor the formation of a metal-organic framework. Chemical Science 12 (4), pp.1486-1494. (10.1039/D0SC04892E)
2018
- Arroyo-Crespo, J. J. et al., 2018. Anticancer activity driven by drug linker modification in a polyglutamic acid-based combination-drug conjugate. Advanced Functional Materials 28 (22) 1800931. (10.1002/adfm.201800931)
- Paul, A. et al. 2018. Structural evolution in metallomicroemulsions – the effect of increasing alcohol hydrophobicity. Dalton Transactions 47 (40), pp.14211-14217. (10.1039/C8DT02031K)
2017
- Duro-Castano, A. et al., 2017. Capturing "extraordinary" soft-assembled charge-like polypeptides as a strategy for nanocarrier design. Advanced Materials 29 (39) 1702888. (10.1002/adma.201702888)
- Gardner, D. et al. 2017. Capillary flow characteristics of an autogenic and autonomic healing agent for self-healing concrete. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering 29 (11), pp.171-184. (10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002092)
- Hossain, M. et al., 2017. Probing the surfaces of core-shell and hollow nanoparticles by solvent relaxation NMR. Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry 56 (4), pp.251-256. (10.1002/mrc.4707)
- Paul, A. et al. 2017. Laboratory evaluation of a novel anaesthesia delivery device. Anaesthesia 72 (1), pp.63-72. (10.1111/anae.13625)
- Powell, A. et al. 2017. Do model polymer therapeutics sufficiently diffuse through articular cartilage to be a viable therapeutic route?. Journal of Drug Targeting 25 (9-10), pp.919-926. (10.1080/1061186X.2017.1378660)
2016
- Et-Tarhouni, Z. et al. 2016. Quantifying the micellar structure formed from hydrocarbon-fluorocarbon surfactants. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physiochemical and Engineering Aspects 492 , pp.255-262. (10.1016/j.colsurfa.2015.12.015)
- Jones, N. , Lourenço, S. D. and Paul, A. 2016. Testing surfactants as additives for clay improvement: compaction and suction effects. E3S Web of Conferences 9 13006. (10.1051/e3sconf/20160913006)
- Salama, I. E. and Paul, A. 2016. Emulsions of fluorinated oils stabilised by fluorinated silica nanoparticles. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 494 , pp.125-138. (10.1016/j.colsurfa.2016.01.012)
2015
- Conejos-Sanchez, I. et al., 2015. Polymer-doxycycline conjugates as fibril disrupters: An approach towards the treatment of a rare amyloidotic disease. Journal of Controlled Release 198 , pp.80-90. (10.1016/j.jconrel.2014.12.003)
- Salama, I. E. et al., 2015. Volatile fluorinated nanoemulsions: a chemical route to controlled delivery of inhalation anesthesia. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 440 , pp.78-83. (10.1016/j.jcis.2014.10.021)
2014
- Hurcom, J. et al. 2014. The interfacial structure of polymeric surfactant stabilised air-in-water foams. Soft Matter 10 (17), pp.3003-3008. (10.1039/C3SM52877D)
- Meleshko, G. et al. 2014. All-atom molecular dynamics simulation of HPMA polymers. RSC Advances 4 (14), pp.7003-7012. (10.1039/c3ra46386a)
- Paul, A. et al. 2014. Laboratory evaluation of a novel anaesthesia delivery device [Abstract]. British Journal of Anaesthesia 112 (1), pp.189P-190P. (10.1093/bja/aet373)
2013
- Morris, K. L. et al., 2013. Chemically programmed self-sorting of gelator networks. Nature Communications 4 1480. (10.1038/ncomms2499)
2012
- Giménez, V. et al., 2012. Demonstrating the importance of polymer-conjugate conformation in solution on its therapeutic output: Diethylstilbestrol (DES)-polyacetals as prostate cancer treatment. Journal of Controlled Release 159 (2), pp.290-301. (10.1016/j.jconrel.2011.12.035)
2011
- Chen, L. et al., 2011. Tuneable mechanical properties in low molecular weight gels. Soft Matter 7 (20), pp.9721-9727. (10.1039/c1sm05827d)
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2011. Conformational consequences of cooperative binding of a coiled-coil peptide motif to poly(N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide) HPMA copolymers. Journal of Controlled Release 153 (2), pp.173-179. (10.1016/j.jconrel.2011.03.030)
- Jangher, A. et al. 2011. Polymeric micelle disruption by cosolvents and anionic surfactants. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 391 (1-3), pp.88-94. (10.1016/j.colsurfa.2011.08.006)
- Mohamed, A. et al., 2011. Low Fluorine Content CO2-philic Surfactants. Langmuir 27 (17), pp.10562-10569. (10.1021/la2021885)
- Yasayan, G. et al., 2011. Responsive hybrid block co-polymer conjugates of proteins-controlled architecture to modulate substrate specificity and solution behaviour. Polymer Chemistry 2 (7), pp.1567-1578. (10.1039/c1py00128k)
2010
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2010. Structure-property relationships in metallosurfactants. Soft Matter 6 (9), pp.1981-1989. (10.1039/b920143b)
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2010. Gelation or molecular recognition; is the bis-(α,β-dihydroxy ester)s motif an omnigelator?. Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry 6 , pp.1079-1088. (10.3762/bjoc.6.123)
- Paul, A. et al. 2010. A contrast variation small-angle scattering study of the microstructure of 2,5-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-2,5-diazaheptadecane-toluene-butanol oil-in-water metallomicroemulsions. Soft Matter 6 (11), pp.2552-2556. (10.1039/b926812j)
- Paul, A. et al. 2010. Drug mimic induced conformational changes in model polymer-drug conjugates characterized by small-angle neutron scattering. Biomacromolecules 11 (8), pp.1978-1982. (10.1021/bm1003338)
- Paul, A. et al. 2010. Partitioning and phase equilibria of PEGylated excipients in fluorinated liquids. International Journal of Pharmaceutics 387 (1-2), pp.230-235. (10.1016/j.ijpharm.2009.12.004)
2007
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2007. Derivatizing weak polyelectrolytes-Solution properties, self-aggregation, and association with anionic surfaces of hydrophobically modified poly(ethylene imine). Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 314 (2), pp.460-469. (10.1016/j.jcis.2007.05.082)
- Paul, A. et al. 2007. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Studies of Anionic Surfactants with Macrocounterions: Tetramethylammonium Dodecyl Sulfate. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 109 (33), pp.15775-15779. (10.1021/jp050597a)
- Paul, A. , Vicent, M. J. and Duncan, R. 2007. Using Small-Angle Neutron Scattering to Study the Solution Conformation of N-(2-Hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide Copolymer-Doxorubicin Conjugates. Biomacromolecules 8 (5), pp.1573-1579. (10.1021/bm060925s)
2005
- Paul, A. , Griffiths, P. C. and Rogueda, P. G. 2005. Explaining the Phase Behaviour of the Pharmaceutically Relevant Polymers Poly(Ethylene Glycol) and Poly(Vinyl Pyrrolidone) in Semi-Fluorinated Liquids. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 57 (11), pp.1383-1388. (10.1211/jpp.57.11.0002)
2004
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2004. Small-Angle Neutron Scattering, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, Electrophoretic NMR, and Time-Resolved Fluorescence Quenching Studies of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate and Tetra(ethylene oxide) Dodecyl Ether Mixed Surfactant Micelles. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 108 (4), pp.1351-1356. (10.1021/jp035276i)
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2004. The Structure of Metallomicelles. Chemistry - A European Journal 10 (8), pp.2022-2028. (10.1002/chem.200305670)
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2004. Role of Counterion Concentration in Determining Micelle Aggregation: Evaluation of the Combination of Constraints from Small-Angle Neutron Scattering, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, and Time-Resolved Fluorescence Quenching. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 108 (12), pp.3810-3816. (10.1021/jp0371478)
2001
- Eastoe, J. et al., 2001. Micellization of Hydrocarbon Surfactants in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide. Journal of the American Chemical Society 123 (5), pp.988-989. (10.1021/ja005795o)
- Kerr, M. P. et al. 2001. Clinical guidelines for the management of epilepsy in adults with an intellectual disability. SEIZURE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EPILEPSY 10 (6), pp.401-409.
Articles
- Ahmed, Y. et al. 2023. Synthesis of barium hexaferrite nano-platelets for ethylene glycol ferrofluids. Journal of Materials Chemistry C 11 (45), pp.16066-16073. (10.1039/D3TC03833E)
- Arroyo-Crespo, J. J. et al., 2018. Anticancer activity driven by drug linker modification in a polyglutamic acid-based combination-drug conjugate. Advanced Functional Materials 28 (22) 1800931. (10.1002/adfm.201800931)
- Chen, L. et al., 2011. Tuneable mechanical properties in low molecular weight gels. Soft Matter 7 (20), pp.9721-9727. (10.1039/c1sm05827d)
- Conejos-Sanchez, I. et al., 2015. Polymer-doxycycline conjugates as fibril disrupters: An approach towards the treatment of a rare amyloidotic disease. Journal of Controlled Release 198 , pp.80-90. (10.1016/j.jconrel.2014.12.003)
- Duro-Castano, A. et al., 2017. Capturing "extraordinary" soft-assembled charge-like polypeptides as a strategy for nanocarrier design. Advanced Materials 29 (39) 1702888. (10.1002/adma.201702888)
- Eastoe, J. et al., 2001. Micellization of Hydrocarbon Surfactants in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide. Journal of the American Chemical Society 123 (5), pp.988-989. (10.1021/ja005795o)
- Et-Tarhouni, Z. et al. 2016. Quantifying the micellar structure formed from hydrocarbon-fluorocarbon surfactants. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physiochemical and Engineering Aspects 492 , pp.255-262. (10.1016/j.colsurfa.2015.12.015)
- Fernández, Y. et al., 2022. In vivo Antitumor and ametastatic efficacy of a polyacetal-based paclitaxel conjugate for prostate cancer therapy. Advanced Healthcare Materials 11 (7) 2101544. (10.1002/adhm.202101544)
- Gardner, D. et al. 2017. Capillary flow characteristics of an autogenic and autonomic healing agent for self-healing concrete. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering 29 (11), pp.171-184. (10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002092)
- Giménez, V. et al., 2012. Demonstrating the importance of polymer-conjugate conformation in solution on its therapeutic output: Diethylstilbestrol (DES)-polyacetals as prostate cancer treatment. Journal of Controlled Release 159 (2), pp.290-301. (10.1016/j.jconrel.2011.12.035)
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2004. Small-Angle Neutron Scattering, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, Electrophoretic NMR, and Time-Resolved Fluorescence Quenching Studies of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate and Tetra(ethylene oxide) Dodecyl Ether Mixed Surfactant Micelles. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 108 (4), pp.1351-1356. (10.1021/jp035276i)
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2010. Structure-property relationships in metallosurfactants. Soft Matter 6 (9), pp.1981-1989. (10.1039/b920143b)
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2004. The Structure of Metallomicelles. Chemistry - A European Journal 10 (8), pp.2022-2028. (10.1002/chem.200305670)
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2010. Gelation or molecular recognition; is the bis-(α,β-dihydroxy ester)s motif an omnigelator?. Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry 6 , pp.1079-1088. (10.3762/bjoc.6.123)
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2011. Conformational consequences of cooperative binding of a coiled-coil peptide motif to poly(N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide) HPMA copolymers. Journal of Controlled Release 153 (2), pp.173-179. (10.1016/j.jconrel.2011.03.030)
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2007. Derivatizing weak polyelectrolytes-Solution properties, self-aggregation, and association with anionic surfaces of hydrophobically modified poly(ethylene imine). Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 314 (2), pp.460-469. (10.1016/j.jcis.2007.05.082)
- Griffiths, P. C. et al. 2004. Role of Counterion Concentration in Determining Micelle Aggregation: Evaluation of the Combination of Constraints from Small-Angle Neutron Scattering, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, and Time-Resolved Fluorescence Quenching. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 108 (12), pp.3810-3816. (10.1021/jp0371478)
- Hossain, M. et al., 2017. Probing the surfaces of core-shell and hollow nanoparticles by solvent relaxation NMR. Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry 56 (4), pp.251-256. (10.1002/mrc.4707)
- Hurcom, J. et al. 2014. The interfacial structure of polymeric surfactant stabilised air-in-water foams. Soft Matter 10 (17), pp.3003-3008. (10.1039/C3SM52877D)
- Jangher, A. et al. 2011. Polymeric micelle disruption by cosolvents and anionic surfactants. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 391 (1-3), pp.88-94. (10.1016/j.colsurfa.2011.08.006)
- Jones, C. L. et al. 2021. Exploiting in-situ NMR to monitor the formation of a metal-organic framework. Chemical Science 12 (4), pp.1486-1494. (10.1039/D0SC04892E)
- Jones, N. , Lourenço, S. D. and Paul, A. 2016. Testing surfactants as additives for clay improvement: compaction and suction effects. E3S Web of Conferences 9 13006. (10.1051/e3sconf/20160913006)
- Kerr, M. P. et al. 2001. Clinical guidelines for the management of epilepsy in adults with an intellectual disability. SEIZURE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EPILEPSY 10 (6), pp.401-409.
- Meleshko, G. et al. 2014. All-atom molecular dynamics simulation of HPMA polymers. RSC Advances 4 (14), pp.7003-7012. (10.1039/c3ra46386a)
- Mohamed, A. et al., 2011. Low Fluorine Content CO2-philic Surfactants. Langmuir 27 (17), pp.10562-10569. (10.1021/la2021885)
- Morris, K. L. et al., 2013. Chemically programmed self-sorting of gelator networks. Nature Communications 4 1480. (10.1038/ncomms2499)
- Paul, A. et al. 2017. Laboratory evaluation of a novel anaesthesia delivery device. Anaesthesia 72 (1), pp.63-72. (10.1111/anae.13625)
- Paul, A. et al. 2018. Structural evolution in metallomicroemulsions – the effect of increasing alcohol hydrophobicity. Dalton Transactions 47 (40), pp.14211-14217. (10.1039/C8DT02031K)
- Paul, A. et al. 2010. A contrast variation small-angle scattering study of the microstructure of 2,5-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-2,5-diazaheptadecane-toluene-butanol oil-in-water metallomicroemulsions. Soft Matter 6 (11), pp.2552-2556. (10.1039/b926812j)
- Paul, A. et al. 2007. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Studies of Anionic Surfactants with Macrocounterions: Tetramethylammonium Dodecyl Sulfate. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 109 (33), pp.15775-15779. (10.1021/jp050597a)
- Paul, A. , Griffiths, P. C. and Rogueda, P. G. 2005. Explaining the Phase Behaviour of the Pharmaceutically Relevant Polymers Poly(Ethylene Glycol) and Poly(Vinyl Pyrrolidone) in Semi-Fluorinated Liquids. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 57 (11), pp.1383-1388. (10.1211/jpp.57.11.0002)
- Paul, A. et al. 2010. Drug mimic induced conformational changes in model polymer-drug conjugates characterized by small-angle neutron scattering. Biomacromolecules 11 (8), pp.1978-1982. (10.1021/bm1003338)
- Paul, A. et al. 2010. Partitioning and phase equilibria of PEGylated excipients in fluorinated liquids. International Journal of Pharmaceutics 387 (1-2), pp.230-235. (10.1016/j.ijpharm.2009.12.004)
- Paul, A. , Vicent, M. J. and Duncan, R. 2007. Using Small-Angle Neutron Scattering to Study the Solution Conformation of N-(2-Hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide Copolymer-Doxorubicin Conjugates. Biomacromolecules 8 (5), pp.1573-1579. (10.1021/bm060925s)
- Paul, A. et al. 2014. Laboratory evaluation of a novel anaesthesia delivery device [Abstract]. British Journal of Anaesthesia 112 (1), pp.189P-190P. (10.1093/bja/aet373)
- Powell, A. et al. 2017. Do model polymer therapeutics sufficiently diffuse through articular cartilage to be a viable therapeutic route?. Journal of Drug Targeting 25 (9-10), pp.919-926. (10.1080/1061186X.2017.1378660)
- Pym, D. et al., 2025. Micro-rheology and co-stream microfluidics reveal critical contributions of platelet concentrate components to blood platelet integrity in storage. BioNanoScience 16 (1) 25. (10.1007/s12668-025-02288-5)
- Salama, I. E. et al., 2015. Volatile fluorinated nanoemulsions: a chemical route to controlled delivery of inhalation anesthesia. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 440 , pp.78-83. (10.1016/j.jcis.2014.10.021)
- Salama, I. E. and Paul, A. 2016. Emulsions of fluorinated oils stabilised by fluorinated silica nanoparticles. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 494 , pp.125-138. (10.1016/j.colsurfa.2016.01.012)
- Yasayan, G. et al., 2011. Responsive hybrid block co-polymer conjugates of proteins-controlled architecture to modulate substrate specificity and solution behaviour. Polymer Chemistry 2 (7), pp.1567-1578. (10.1039/c1py00128k)
- Young, T. B. et al. 2023. Chemically recyclable fluorescent polyesters via the ring-opening copolymerization of epoxides and anhydrides. Polymer Chemistry (10.1039/D3PY00209H)
Research
- Formulation in colloidal systems
- Emulsions, microemulsions and particle suspensions and sustainable surfactants
- Physicochemical characterisation of macromolecules in solution
- Relationships between molecular structure, solution conformation and functionality of novel polymer
- Scattering methods to determine structures at small length scales (Neutron and Light/X-ray scattering)
- Integration of molecular dynamics with experimental data
- Composite materials
- Innovation for application: advanced technology developments in drug delivery, structural materials and degradable plastics
For more information on specific projects available with Dr Alison Paul please review the Materials and Energy section of our research project themes.
Teaching
Teaching focus: Fundamental & Applied Physical Chemistry and Materials Science
Year 2 Physical Chemistry:
My lectures focus on the thermodynamics of colloidal systems. Exploring the thermodynamic driving forces that underpin solution behaviour, these lectures highlight how molecular chemistry and overall system composition give rise to the self-assembled structures that are essential for the efficacy of a vast range of products that we use every day.
Year 2 Medicinal Chemistry:
Tailored specifically towards applied medicinal chemistry, my teaching on this module is designed to develop skills in the design of drug molecules and medicines, and an appreciation of considerations for effective drug delivery. Topics include fundamental thermodynamics, kinetics and formulation science.
Year 2 and Year 3 Laboratory Classes: Physical Chemistry
My teaching in labs is aimed at professional skills training; supporting students to gain confidence in practical techniques, develop their critical assessment and informed experimental design skills, and developing an applied understanding of accuracy & precision. Experiments link to key concepts in thermodynamics, kinetics, spectroscopy and analytical methodology.
Year 4 and PGT: Advanced Materials:
My contribution to this module focussed on the relationships between molecular confirmation and interactions and the bulk properties of colloidal and soft matter systems, with particular reference to the targeted formulation of commercial products.
Biography
PhD University of Bristol (2001, J. Eastoe). Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cardiff University (2001-3). Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (2003-4). Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Bristol (2004-5). Senior Research Fellow & Project Manager Cardiff University (2005-6). Appointed as Lecturer in Physical Chemistry, Cardiff, in 2006.
Committees and reviewing
- Cardiff Materials Research Network (co-chair): https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/explore/research-units/materials-research-network
- Cardiff University Commercial Advisory Panel (chair)
Supervisions
Projects for self-funded students are available in the following areas:
Sustainable formulations and additives
Characterisation of soft/crystalline composite materials (collaboration with University of Birmingham)
Characterisation of novel polymers - fundamental studies of solution properties of chemically recycalble polymers
Current supervision
Taylor Young
Contact Details
Research themes
Specialisms
- Polymers and plastics
- Drug delivery
- formulation
- Physicochemical characterisation
- X-ray & neutron scattering