Successfully leaning on the Eiffel Tower

Author: Brennen Davis | Major: Chemistry | Semester: Summer 2025

This past summer, I interned at Sheffield, England at Sheffield Hallam University working under Dr. Alice Johnson on the synthesis of organometallic complexes as anticancer drugs, specifically metal-based drugs. Sheffield is a beautiful city located in South Yorkshire, about 30 miles east of Manchester. During my two months abroad, I also visited Paris, Amsterdam, Faro, Munich, and London, getting to experience many diƯerent cultures and beautiful cities. My favorite memory from this experience is being able to go to the Grand National Tour of SZA and Kendrick Lamar in Amsterdam. In Paris, I also got to ascend the Eiffel Tower and see the amazing view from atop. I was able to travel primarily on the weekends, but during the weekdays I would be in Sheffeld doing research. I worked under Dr. Alice Johnson at Sheffield Hallam University. My major tasks were performing synthesis of these metallic complexes. This includes synthesis, working up the compounds, and purification. I would also use tools such as nuclear magnetic resonance to determine the purity of my compounds and if the compound was successfully synthesized. I also had the opportunity to test one of my compounds against breast cancer using MTT assay to determine the IC50 of the compound, which is the concentration of the compound that reduced cell viability by 50%. What went right for me is that I was able to synthesize five new compounds which will further be tested as cancer drugs. This opportunity allowed me to learn about how to apply my work in the chemistry lab to a biological setting. I work at the Dr. He lab here in Fayetteville as an undergraduate synthetic chemist, so being able to use the compounds that I synthesized in a biological setting will give me experience that I can use for my plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry. I also learned a lot about myself by being able to make friends across Europe and to experience and compare how our lives both diƯer and are similar. After my undergraduate degree, I plan on pursuing a Ph.D. in biochemistry. Before this experience, I knew that I wanted to pursue a Ph.D. and this experience both confirmed what I want to do as well as allowing me to determine which field of chemistry I wish to get a Ph.D. in. I am planning on applying to schools across Europe, specifically the United Kingdom, as well as schools across the east coast of the United States. I’m very happy with my experience in Sheffield as well as the friends and memories I got to make. I would like to thank Dr. Alice Johnson as well as her Ph.D. students Jamie Riley-Brown and Bradley Unwin for their support and help during my time at Sheffield Hallam University. My time in England has shaped what I want my future to be and I hope that I will have the opportunity in the future to continue my education and career abroad where I will be able to explore more of Europe’s treasures.