Dr Debra Whitehead

Academic and professional qualifications

BSc. (Hons) Chemistry

PhD Chemistry (Photonic band gap systems based on synthetic opals)

PGCAP (Manchester Met, 2010)

Previous employment

Senior Lecturer, MMU (2011-present)

Lecturer, MMU (2007-2011)

Post-doctoral Research Associate, Tyndall Reseach Institute, Cork, Southern Ireland (2003-2006)

Other academic service (administration and management)

Unit Leader (Foundation Chemistry

Why study Physical Chemistry?

Undergraduate courses

Foundation Chemistry 6F3Z2001 (lectures, tutorials)

3rd year Surface science (lectures and tutorials)

2nd year Chemical & Physical Analysis for Forensics 6F5Z2012 (lectures, labs and tutorials)

2nd year Electrochemistry 6F5Z2008 (seminars and workshops)

2nd year Physical Chemistry Labs  (Labs)

Postgraduate teaching

Supervision of PhD and MSc research students

Postgraduate supervision (completed/in progress)

PhD students

Helen Casey

Cai Astley (DOS: Dr May Azzawi)

If you are interested in working in our group, please contact me directly in the first instance by e-mail.

Funded opportunities will be posted here.

Ph.D. Positions: Self-funding candidates are invited to to discuss project proposals with me prior to application.

Post-doctoral Positions: If you are actively applying for your own funding (Research councils, charities, government agencies) to join our group then please contact me well in advance to receive substantial assistance with your application.

Research expertise

• Nanomedicine: Nanotoxicological influence of nanoparticles (Silica, mesoporous silica, gold, quantum dots) on cellular and vascular function. The aim is inform their safe application in diagnostics and therapeutics, particularly in the treatment of vascular disease.
• Nanosensors: nanoparticles for gas sensor development
• Nanoparticles for slow drug delivery
• Upconversion and doped nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalysis of water pollutants

Academic collaborations

Internal collaborations

Dr May Azzawi- (Physiology)

Dr Nasser Al-Shanti (Cell biology)

Dr Sladjana Malic (Microbiology)

Professor Yvonne Alexander (Physiologist) 

Dr Fiona Wilkinson (Cell biologist)

External collaborations

Dr Philip Roche- Lady Davis Institute, JGH, Montreal

Alexander Seifalian, Professor of Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine, at University College London

Professor Martyn Pemble, Tyndall Research Insitute

Publications

• Featured Works

• Journal articles

  M. Frost, MJ. Dempsey, DE. Whitehead (2017). The Response of Citrate Functionalized Gold and Silver Nanoparticles to the Addition of Heavy Metal Ions. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects. 518, pp.15-24.

  S. Ghosh, SR. Dungdung, ST. Choudhury, S. Chakraborty, N. Das (2014). Mitochondria protection with ginkgolide B-loaded polymeric nanocapsules prevents diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocarcinoma in rats. Nanomedicine. 9(3), pp.441-456.

  A. Farooq, D. Whitehead, M. Azzawi (2014). Attenuation of endothelial-dependent vasodilator responses, induced by dye-encapsulated silica nanoparticles, in aortic vessels. Nanomedicine (Lond). 9(3), pp.413-425.

  A. Farooq, R. Al-Jowder, R. Narayanaswamy, M. Azzawi, PJR. Roche, et al. DE. Whitehead. (2013). Gas detection using quenching fluorescence of dye-immobilised silica nanoparticles. Sensors and Actuators, B: Chemical. 183, pp.230-238.

  A. Shukur, SB. Rizvi, D. Whitehead, A. Seifalian, M. Azzawi (2013). Altered sensitivity to nitric oxide donors, induced by intravascular infusion of quantum dots, in murine mesenteric arteries. Nanomedicine. 9(4), pp.532-539.

  N. Akbar, T. Mohamed, D. Whitehead, M. Azzawi (2011). Biocompatibility of amorphous silica nanoparticles: Size and charge effect on vascular function, in vitro. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED BIOCHEMISTRY. 58(5), pp.353-362.

  W. Khunsin, SG. Romanov, M. Bardosova, D. Whitehead, M. Pemble, et al. IM. Povey, CM. Sotomayor Torres. (2008). Bleaching-induced evolution of directional emission from dye-loaded opals. Journal of Optics A: Pure and Applied Optics. 10(11), pp.115201-115201.

• Conferences

  A. Shukur, D. Whitehead, AM. Seifalian, Y. Alexander, F. Wilkinson, et al. M. Azzawi. (2015). 173 Infused silica nanoparticles compromise vascular function in small mesenteric arteries. In: Heart. Manchester, ENGLAND, 8/6/2015. pp.A98.2-A98.

Invited papers

Oral presentation at the April 2015 British Microcirculation Society meeting

Oral presentation at British Cardiovascular Society Annual Conference, Manchester June, 2015

Grants

1. nanoKTN EPSRC funded CASE studentship April 2011, (£70 000), United Utilities funding £23000

2. DRI internal CASE studentship (2010), MMU, United Utilities CASE studentship £15000
3. EPSRC ‘Bridging the gap’ nanoinfobio funding. November 2009 (1 year), £5000

“Nanotoxicological influence of nanoparticles on arterial vessel function”.

4. Research Capability Funding, MMU. Equipment grant, 2008, £40000 “purchase of Malvern zetasizer nano ZS”.

Prizes and awards

Poster Prize Nanomed 2015

Real-time observation of aortic vessel dilation through delivery of sodium nitroprusside via slow release mesoporous nanoparticles

Asima FAROOQ, Debra WHITEHEAD,Lubomira TOSHEVA, Peter KELLY, May AZZAWI.

Membership of professional associations

Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC)

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)