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Hire Dr. Dominic C.

Germany

USD 50 /hr

Freelance Chemistry & Legal Consultant | Expert in Medicinal Chemistry & Material Science.

Profile Summary

I am a PhD-trained synthetic organic chemist with over a decade of international experience in academia, industry, and intellectual property consulting. My background combines hands-on laboratory research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and scientific communication, with expertise in organic synthesis, crystallization, analytical techniques, and functional materials development. Currently, I work as a scientific and legal consultant, supporting R&D and IP teams with experimental design, troubleshooting, and analytical interpretation, while also contributing to patent drafting and litigation support. As an expert witness, I provide technical assessments through reproduction of prior art, data analysis, and clear, structured technical reporting. During my postdoctoral research at the University of Limerick, I led the LightSorb project on light-responsive smart materials and supported multiple successful grant proposals. At H3D (University of Cape Town), I contributed to antimalarial drug discovery projects in partnership with Merck and MMV, helping to advance candidates through Hit-to-Lead and Lead Optimization stages while supporting laboratory operations and mentoring junior scientists. My doctoral and postdoctoral research at Stellenbosch University focused on inherently chiral calixarenes and light-responsive materials, where I secured funding and trained students. Alongside research, I have developed a strong interest in scientific editing and communication. I have authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed publications in leading journals (Angew. Chem., Nat. Chem., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., J. Mater. Chem. A), and I enjoy refining complex scientific ideas into clear, concise, and accessible writing. This experience, combined with my consulting work, has strengthened both my technical precision and my editorial skills. My technical expertise includes advanced separation and characterization methods (HPLC, GC, NMR, MS, PXRD, SCXRD, DSC), as well as DMPK assays and pharmacokinetic studies. I am proficient with a wide range of laboratory and analysis software (ChemOffice, Dotmatics, Stardrop, ACD/Labs). Fluent in English, German, and Afrikaans, I bring strong communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and a proven ability to bridge chemistry, materials science, pharmaceuticals, and intellectual property.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ☆ Catalysis
• ☆ Natural Product Chemistry
• ☆ Analytical Chemistry
• ☆ Separation & Purification
• ☆ Crystallography
• ☆ X-Ray Crystallography
• ☆ Spectroscopy
• ☆ UV Spectroscopy
• ☆ IR Spectroscopy
• ☆ NMR Spectroscopy
• ☆ Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy
• ☆ Spectrophotometry
• ☆ Mass Spectrometry
• ☆ Organic Chemistry
• ☆ Retrosynthesis
• ☆ Drug Discovery
• ☆ Medicinal Chemistry

Services

• Writing

Writing Medical Writing, Technical Writing, Copywriting, General Proofreading & Editing

Work Experience

Scientific and legal consultant

Glenntex

February 2024 - Present

Expert witness and legal consultant

Aitken Klee LLP

June 2022 - Present

Postdoctoral Research fellow

Bernal Institute, University of Limerick

January 2021 - December 2022

Chief Scientific Officer

H3D

June 2018 - December 2020

Postdoctoral Research fellow

Stellenbosch University

December 2016 - June 2018

Education

PhD in synthetic organic chemistry

Stellenbosch University

January 2014 - December 2016

BSc Honours Chemistry

Stellenbosch University

January 2009 - December 2013

Certifications

• Certification details not provided.

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Kyriaki Koupepidou, Shi-Qiang Wang, Varvara I. Nikolayenko, Dominic C. Castell, Catiúcia R. M. O. Matos, Matthias Vandichel, Michael J. Zaworotko (2024). Gate-opening Induced by C8 Aromatics in a Double Diamondoid Coordination Network . ACS Materials Letters.

Yassin H. Andaloussi, Debobroto Sensharma, Andrey A. Bezrukov, Dominic C. Castell, Tao He, Shaza Darwish, Michael J. Zaworotko (2024). Dinuclear Copper Sulfate-Based Square Lattice Topology Network with High Alkyne Selectivity . Crystal Growth & Design.

Kyriaki Koupepidou, Varvara I. Nikolayenko, Debobroto Sensharma, Andrey A. Bezrukov, Matthias Vandichel, Sousa Javan Nikkhah, Dominic C. Castell, Kolade A. Oyekan, Naveen Kumar, Aizhamal Subanbekova, et al. (2023). One Atom Can Make All the Difference: Gas-Induced Phase Transformations in Bisimidazole-Linked Diamondoid Coordination Networks . Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Kyriaki Koupepidou, Varvara I. Nikolayenko, Debobroto Sensharma, Andrey A. Bezrukov, Mohana Shivanna, Dominic C. Castell, Shi-Qiang Wang, Naveen Kumar, Ken-ichi Otake, Susumu Kitagawa, et al. (2023). Control over Phase Transformations in a Family of Flexible Double Diamondoid Coordination Networks through Linker Ligand Substitution . Chemistry of Materials.

Dominic C. Castell, Varvara I. Nikolayenko, Debobroto Sensharma, Kyriaki Koupepidou, Katherine A. Forrest, Carlos J. Solanilla‐Salinas, Brian Space, Leonard J. Barbour, Michael J. Zaworotko (2023). Crystal Engineering of Two Light and Pressure Responsive Physisorbents . Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

Varvara I. Nikolayenko, Dominic C. Castell, Debobroto Sensharma, Mohana Shivanna, Leigh Loots, Katherine A. Forrest, Carlos J. Solanilla-Salinas, Ken-ichi Otake, Susumu Kitagawa, Leonard J. Barbour, et al. (2023). Reversible transformations between the non-porous phases of a flexible coordination network enabled by transient porosity . Nature Chemistry.

Kyriaki Koupepidou, Andrey A. Bezrukov, Dominic C. Castell, Debobroto Sensharma, Soumya Mukherjee, Michael J. Zaworotko (2023). Water vapour induced structural flexibility in a square lattice coordination network . Chemical Communications.

Varvara I. Nikolayenko, Dominic C. Castell, Debobroto Sensharma, Mohana Shivanna, Leigh Loots, Ken-ichi Otake, Susumu Kitagawa, Leonard J. Barbour, Michael J. Zaworotko (2023). Metal cation substitution can tune CO2, H2O and CH4 switching pressure in transiently porous coordination networks . Journal of Materials Chemistry A.

Szymon Sobczak, Aleksandra Półrolniczak, Paulina Ratajczyk, Weizhao Cai, Andrzej Gładysiak, Varvara I. Nikolayenko, Dominic C. Castell, Leonard J. Barbour, Andrzej Katrusiak(2020). Large negative linear compressibility of a porous molecular co-crystal . Chemical Communications. 56. (31). p. 4324--4327. Royal Society of Chemistry ({RSC})

Varvara I. Nikolayenko, Dominic C. Castell, Dewald P. van Heerden, Leonard J. Barbour (2018). Guest‐Induced Structural Transformations in a Porous Halogen‐Bonded Framework . Angewandte Chemie.

Dominic C. Castell, Ntlama Lesotho, Varvara I. Nikolayenko, Gareth E. Arnott (2017). Inherently Chiral Calix[4]arenes: A Chiral Sulfoxide as an Ortholithiation Director . European Journal of Organic Chemistry.

Simon A Herbert, Laura J van Laeren, Dominic C Castell, Gareth E Arnott (2014). Inherently chiral calix[4]arenes via oxazoline directed ortholithiation: synthesis and probe of chiral space . Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry.

Simon A. Herbert, Dominic C. Castell, Jonathan Clayden, Gareth E. Arnott (2013). Manipulating the Diastereoselectivity of Ortholithiation in Planar Chiral Ferrocenes . Organic Letters.