Page 7 - PERIODIC Magazine Issue 7

Martine Abboud (Schofield quantum state in a beam, removing all other species and thus

group) and Jutta Toscano providing a high level of control over the reaction conditions.
Jutta arrived in Oxford in 2014, drawn by the opportunity to
(Heazlewood group) answer fundamental questions through manipulating particles

with electromagnetic fields and studying reactions at very low
temperatures. During difficult days in the laboratory, Jutta has
Congratulations to Drs. Martine challenged herself to think of something other than research
Abboud and Jutta Toscano for being that she would be motivated to do all day, every day. However,
named to the 2019 Forbes Europe she has yet to find anything else that replaces the curiosity of
‘30 Under 30’ list in the Science making new discoveries and the challenge of testing new ideas.
& Healthcare category! Receiving Throughout her academic career, Jutta has enjoyed working in
thousands of nominations each year, different countries and learning about various cultures. Her past
the list recognises the “best and boldest projects have brought her to France and Sweden, and now she
young leaders, creators and thinkers”. is a Lindemann postdoctoral fellow in Professor Jun Ye’s group at
Both researchers completed their DPhils the University of Colorado Boulder, in the United States. In the
in the Chemistry Department at the future, Jutta plans to continue learning more about the universe
University of Oxford, and are currently around us, and perhaps one day start her own group to further
continuing their scientific journeys as investigate gas-phase reaction dynamics.
research fellows.

Dr. Martine Abboud and Dr. Martine Abboud
Jutta Toscano
Martine Abboud’s research in chemical biology spans
antibiotic resistance, oxygen sensing in the human body
and metabolic enzymes in cancer progression. As a
young child in Lebanon, she marvelled at Hollywood
depictions of Oxford as a renowned, illustrious
institution, and dreamed of attending someday. When it
came time to actually apply, Martine was hesitant but her
mother encouraged her to go for it - she is glad she did.
Martine arrived in Oxford in 2013 to start her DPhil
in Professor Chris Schofield’s group, where she is
now a junior research fellow. Research can be full of
uncertainty, but Martine finds satisfaction in knowing that
one day, even if not in the near future, the knowledge
gained will have an impact. Day to day in the laboratory,
she celebrates the small tasks and enjoys the small
successes. For motivation and inspiration, Martine
also looks to the international, diverse environment A diagram of how Dr. Toscano’s magnetic guide works, showing the trajectories of
particles with different velocities.
and extensive network of experienced scientists in the
Chemistry Department and around Oxford.
Reflecting on her experience at Oxford, Martine
describes it as an enlightening one of self-discovery as
both a researcher and a person. She hopes to channel
her curiosity into leading her own group in the future,
and to bring scientific understanding into real-life
applications by combining it with innovation and
entrepreneurship.

Jutta Toscano

During her DPhil in Dr. Brianna Heazlewood’s group,
Jutta Toscano developed new techniques to investigate
the dynamics of chemical reactions with gas-phase A photograph of Dr. Toscano’s guide for selecting radicals with different specific
properties.
collision experiments conducted at temperatures nearing
absolute zero. She invented and built a magnetic guide
that selects only radicals with a specific velocity and

7
Periodic
The Magazine of the Department of Chemistry