Lewis MacKenzie
@lemackz.bsky.social
Upconversion nanoparticles, optical biosensors, chiral spectroscopy, scicomm, blood oxygen | bass player | uranium glass collector
Group website: www.mackenzie-lab.org
he/him | Glasgow | Expect typos
Group website: www.mackenzie-lab.org
he/him | Glasgow | Expect typos
Pinned
Lewis MacKenzie
@lemackz.bsky.social
· Aug 19
Very excited to announce that I will be a Royal Society University Research Fellow (URF)! This will enable me to expand my team and purchase the specialist equipment required to make upconversion nanoparticles easier to synthesize and to develop them as biomedical research tools. #ChemSky
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
The subgenre deep dive for this week’s @realmsunknown.bsky.social is Villain-as-hero.
@tpneenan.bsky.social is our guest and he just watched the new Predator movie where one of the ruthless murder-monsters is Our Cool Protagonist.
Let me know your favourite villain as hero texts!
@tpneenan.bsky.social is our guest and he just watched the new Predator movie where one of the ruthless murder-monsters is Our Cool Protagonist.
Let me know your favourite villain as hero texts!
November 9, 2025 at 7:16 PM
The subgenre deep dive for this week’s @realmsunknown.bsky.social is Villain-as-hero.
@tpneenan.bsky.social is our guest and he just watched the new Predator movie where one of the ruthless murder-monsters is Our Cool Protagonist.
Let me know your favourite villain as hero texts!
@tpneenan.bsky.social is our guest and he just watched the new Predator movie where one of the ruthless murder-monsters is Our Cool Protagonist.
Let me know your favourite villain as hero texts!
Clever assay format - using a pipette tip as cuvette and incubator/reactor!
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
October 28, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Clever assay format - using a pipette tip as cuvette and incubator/reactor!
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
Hey seabird folks - have you ever thought "*ANOTHER* talk about ?!" So did we.
So we reviewed 3000 conference abstracts to see which species get the spotlight. Huge work from @ingridpollet.bsky.social with me and @seabirdsentinel.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
So we reviewed 3000 conference abstracts to see which species get the spotlight. Huge work from @ingridpollet.bsky.social with me and @seabirdsentinel.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
October 25, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Hey seabird folks - have you ever thought "*ANOTHER* talk about ?!" So did we.
So we reviewed 3000 conference abstracts to see which species get the spotlight. Huge work from @ingridpollet.bsky.social with me and @seabirdsentinel.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
So we reviewed 3000 conference abstracts to see which species get the spotlight. Huge work from @ingridpollet.bsky.social with me and @seabirdsentinel.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
This building has a strange kind of charisma
(Livingston Tower, University of Strathclyde)
(Livingston Tower, University of Strathclyde)
October 20, 2025 at 4:46 PM
This building has a strange kind of charisma
(Livingston Tower, University of Strathclyde)
(Livingston Tower, University of Strathclyde)
What an awesome conference week for #SHIFTtenerife! I can highly recommend it for anyone into lanthanide luminescence and upconversion! Excellent science, a wonderful community, and beautiful location! #chemsky
October 17, 2025 at 5:50 PM
What an awesome conference week for #SHIFTtenerife! I can highly recommend it for anyone into lanthanide luminescence and upconversion! Excellent science, a wonderful community, and beautiful location! #chemsky
Very excited to be at the #SHIFT conference in Tenerife! Going to be lots of lanthanide and upconversion talks, as well as a big speech from Ben Ferringa this morning! #chemsky
#SHIFTtenerife
#SHIFTtenerife
October 13, 2025 at 7:22 AM
Very excited to be at the #SHIFT conference in Tenerife! Going to be lots of lanthanide and upconversion talks, as well as a big speech from Ben Ferringa this morning! #chemsky
#SHIFTtenerife
#SHIFTtenerife
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
There's still time to apply for our Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships. This scheme offers a first step into an independent research career for outstanding early career scientists who require flexible working circumstances.
#RSGrants
https://bit.ly/4h1hzf3
#RSGrants
https://bit.ly/4h1hzf3
October 10, 2025 at 12:45 PM
There's still time to apply for our Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships. This scheme offers a first step into an independent research career for outstanding early career scientists who require flexible working circumstances.
#RSGrants
https://bit.ly/4h1hzf3
#RSGrants
https://bit.ly/4h1hzf3
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
The connection between Nobel-prize winning MOFs and Mudéjar maybe goes beyond beautiful geometric structures – @davidfairen.bsky.social believes the first ever metal-organic framework could be a compound discovered in my hometown, Zaragoza, in 1973. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/my-a...
My arcane and curious connection to metal-organic frameworks
Fernando Gomollón-Bel uncovers a link between his hometown and the 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry
www.chemistryworld.com
October 10, 2025 at 9:27 AM
The connection between Nobel-prize winning MOFs and Mudéjar maybe goes beyond beautiful geometric structures – @davidfairen.bsky.social believes the first ever metal-organic framework could be a compound discovered in my hometown, Zaragoza, in 1973. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/my-a...
If anyone wants some numbers on this: a study I led found that ~70% of chemistry YouTube channels are geared towards revision/learning, and that the creators largely do not clearly state their own professional background/qualifications.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
October 10, 2025 at 9:40 AM
If anyone wants some numbers on this: a study I led found that ~70% of chemistry YouTube channels are geared towards revision/learning, and that the creators largely do not clearly state their own professional background/qualifications.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
On train listening to obviously smart teenage boys discussing homework on “how is conflict presented in Romeo and Juliet” and one boy says to another “I’ll send you two good videos on this” and I am not sure teachers are fully aware of how young people revise etc these days.
October 10, 2025 at 6:48 AM
On train listening to obviously smart teenage boys discussing homework on “how is conflict presented in Romeo and Juliet” and one boy says to another “I’ll send you two good videos on this” and I am not sure teachers are fully aware of how young people revise etc these days.
@alicefraser.bsky.social scunnered to hear about the extremely crap way you've been treated by your publisher, but I'm so excited about the 'A Passion for Passion' audiobook! I can't wait to buy and listen to it! 🤩🎧
October 9, 2025 at 4:16 PM
@alicefraser.bsky.social scunnered to hear about the extremely crap way you've been treated by your publisher, but I'm so excited about the 'A Passion for Passion' audiobook! I can't wait to buy and listen to it! 🤩🎧
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
🧪⚒️ “the complex organic molecules Cassini detected…are not just a product of long exposure to space, but are readily available in Enceladus’s ocean.”
As ever - these observations show some intriguing chemistry is going on, but that isn’t necessarily life.
As ever - these observations show some intriguing chemistry is going on, but that isn’t necessarily life.
Cassini proves complex chemistry in Enceladus ocean
Scientists digging through data collected by the Cassini spacecraft have found new complex organic molecules spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. This is a clear sign that complex chemical reactions ...
www.esa.int
October 1, 2025 at 11:32 AM
🧪⚒️ “the complex organic molecules Cassini detected…are not just a product of long exposure to space, but are readily available in Enceladus’s ocean.”
As ever - these observations show some intriguing chemistry is going on, but that isn’t necessarily life.
As ever - these observations show some intriguing chemistry is going on, but that isn’t necessarily life.
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
Benzyl chloroformate is not trivial to come by. Been waiting on an order from Acros. Does anyone know 1. where to get it from fairly quickly and/or 2. alternatives to benzyl chloroformate for making Cbz-protected amines. (Yes it needs to be Cbz protected.) #chemsky 🧪
October 1, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Benzyl chloroformate is not trivial to come by. Been waiting on an order from Acros. Does anyone know 1. where to get it from fairly quickly and/or 2. alternatives to benzyl chloroformate for making Cbz-protected amines. (Yes it needs to be Cbz protected.) #chemsky 🧪
Another beautiful #uraniumglass trinket set 🤩
September 29, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Another beautiful #uraniumglass trinket set 🤩
Finally found the back of my knee on Anthony Boudain's Parts Unknown S5 E1
September 27, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Finally found the back of my knee on Anthony Boudain's Parts Unknown S5 E1
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
#Mars
A swarm of spherical rovers, blown by the wind like tumbleweeds, could enable large-scale and low-cost exploration of the Martian surface.
www.europlanet.org/epsc-dps2025... 🧪 #PlanetSci
Video: field tests with the Tumbleweed Science Testbed. Credit: Team Tumbleweed/Sas Schilten.
A swarm of spherical rovers, blown by the wind like tumbleweeds, could enable large-scale and low-cost exploration of the Martian surface.
www.europlanet.org/epsc-dps2025... 🧪 #PlanetSci
Video: field tests with the Tumbleweed Science Testbed. Credit: Team Tumbleweed/Sas Schilten.
September 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
#Mars
A swarm of spherical rovers, blown by the wind like tumbleweeds, could enable large-scale and low-cost exploration of the Martian surface.
www.europlanet.org/epsc-dps2025... 🧪 #PlanetSci
Video: field tests with the Tumbleweed Science Testbed. Credit: Team Tumbleweed/Sas Schilten.
A swarm of spherical rovers, blown by the wind like tumbleweeds, could enable large-scale and low-cost exploration of the Martian surface.
www.europlanet.org/epsc-dps2025... 🧪 #PlanetSci
Video: field tests with the Tumbleweed Science Testbed. Credit: Team Tumbleweed/Sas Schilten.
Does anywhere sell sound-proof enclosures for sonic baths?
September 25, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Does anywhere sell sound-proof enclosures for sonic baths?
Really important new paper on how AI can be used to fake nanoparticle images #chemsky #science #nanotech
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The rising danger of AI-generated images in nanomaterials science and what we can do about it - Nature Nanotechnology
Generative AI has made it trivial to generate fake microscopy images that are indistinguishable from real images, even for experts. As researchers in nanoscience, it is time for us to face this reality and discuss strategies to conserve the integrity of our discipline.
www.nature.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Really important new paper on how AI can be used to fake nanoparticle images #chemsky #science #nanotech
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#Nanotechnology never ceases to amaze: stealing plant gubbins and cell membranes, and then combining them with upconversion nanoparticles to repair mitochondira in kidney injury! Controlled by trans-tissue near infrared light #science #nanotech #chemsky #biosky
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
September 24, 2025 at 4:59 PM
#Nanotechnology never ceases to amaze: stealing plant gubbins and cell membranes, and then combining them with upconversion nanoparticles to repair mitochondira in kidney injury! Controlled by trans-tissue near infrared light #science #nanotech #chemsky #biosky
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
1🧵
Excited to share my first PhD paper, published in @dev-journal.bsky.social
What if fish gills —often overlook —hold secrets about development, patterning, and function?
We uncovered how early patterning shapes adult gill architecture.
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
#DevBio #Zebrafish
Excited to share my first PhD paper, published in @dev-journal.bsky.social
What if fish gills —often overlook —hold secrets about development, patterning, and function?
We uncovered how early patterning shapes adult gill architecture.
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
#DevBio #Zebrafish
September 17, 2025 at 1:59 PM
1🧵
Excited to share my first PhD paper, published in @dev-journal.bsky.social
What if fish gills —often overlook —hold secrets about development, patterning, and function?
We uncovered how early patterning shapes adult gill architecture.
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
#DevBio #Zebrafish
Excited to share my first PhD paper, published in @dev-journal.bsky.social
What if fish gills —often overlook —hold secrets about development, patterning, and function?
We uncovered how early patterning shapes adult gill architecture.
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
#DevBio #Zebrafish
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
How much is too much to ask when refereeing a paper?
I don't feel like the authors quite did what I asked them to in the first report, but they've done *some* stuff. Also, some of the new plots show some potential new issues with the paper.
But, I also don't want to be too mean...
I don't feel like the authors quite did what I asked them to in the first report, but they've done *some* stuff. Also, some of the new plots show some potential new issues with the paper.
But, I also don't want to be too mean...
September 23, 2025 at 9:30 AM
How much is too much to ask when refereeing a paper?
I don't feel like the authors quite did what I asked them to in the first report, but they've done *some* stuff. Also, some of the new plots show some potential new issues with the paper.
But, I also don't want to be too mean...
I don't feel like the authors quite did what I asked them to in the first report, but they've done *some* stuff. Also, some of the new plots show some potential new issues with the paper.
But, I also don't want to be too mean...
Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
Celebrating 1st authorships in the group. Congratulations again to 2nd yr PhD student Tali Skipper on her paper out in Cellular Oncology - "Revealing genetic drivers of ovarian cancer and chemoresistance: insights from whole-genome CRISPR-knockout library screens". doi: 10.1007/s13402-025-01102-4 🎉🧪
September 22, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Celebrating 1st authorships in the group. Congratulations again to 2nd yr PhD student Tali Skipper on her paper out in Cellular Oncology - "Revealing genetic drivers of ovarian cancer and chemoresistance: insights from whole-genome CRISPR-knockout library screens". doi: 10.1007/s13402-025-01102-4 🎉🧪