I studied for my BSc, MSc and PhD at King’s College London from 1985-1992. I carried out postodoctoral research at Salford and Sheffield before obtaining a temporary lectureship at Sheffield in 1997. I have been a lecturer at Salford from 2000 and senior lecturer since 2008.

I have worked in organic syntyhesis since my PhD and also, more recently, in medicinal chemistry. I began my research career investigating the synthetic use of free radicals but most of my publications have been in the area of organolithium chemistry applied to asymmetric synthesis. More recently my group has worked on small molecule heparin sulfate mimics with possible applications as anti-cancer compounds.

Raiber, E.-A.; Wilkinson, J. A.; Manetti, F.; Botta, M.; Deakin, J.; Gallagher, J.; Lyon, M.; Ducki, S. “Novel heparin/heparan sulfate mimics as inhibitors of HGF/SF-induced MET activation” Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2007, 17, 6321. Wilkinson, J. A.; Raiber, E.-A.; Ducki, S. “New stabilizing groups for lateral lithiation of ortho­-cresol derivatives” Tetrahedron Lett. 2007, 48, 6434. Wilkinson, J. A.; Raiber, E.-A.; Ducki, S. “New stabilizing groups for lateral lithiation of ortho-cresol derivatives and a new route to 2-substituted chromans” Tetrahedron 2008, 64, 6329. Lagoutte, R; Wilkinson, J. A. “A novel one-step method for the reductive allylation of esters and the first total synthesis of (+/-) erythrococcamide B” Tetrahedron Lett. 2010, 51, 6942. Slabu, I; Rossington, S. B.; Killoran, P. M.; Hirst, N.; Wilkinson, J. A. “Total synthesis of (±)-mimosifoliol by lateral lithiation” Tetrahedron Lett. 2013, 54, 1489.