Simon Webb at Manchester University in the UK works on mimicking aspects of biological systems, in particular making tissue mimics through self assembly that could have potential applications in drug delivery systems.

 What inspired you to become a scientist? 

I became fascinated by the natural world when I was young, and my interest in science was cemented by a next-door neighbour who introduced me to science fiction. My father was responsible for my conversion to chemistry; he gave me some books on chemistry, some chemicals, and a bench in the toolshed.

 What was your motivation behind the work described in your ChemComm article? 

Nature is the inspiration for our research, and the work described in our article is part of our programme to create tissue-mimetic structures through self-assembly. We realised the inclusion of superparamagnetic nanoparticles into our vesicle assemblies would allow us to order these assemblies magnetically, and for the chemical information stored within the vesicles to be released by a remote magnetic signal. By adding a hydrogel matrix, a robust material was formed that we hope can be applied as a smart scaffold for controlling stem cell differentiation or as a remotely triggered in vivo drug delivery system.

 Why did you choose ChemComm to publish your work? 

It was the combination of ChemComm's fast publication times, high impact and wide readership that appealed to us. Our research is progressing rapidly so we want to communicate our results as soon as we can, whilst the interdisciplinary nature of our research means we aim to reach the broadest possible chemical audience. 

 Where do you see your research heading next? 

We will continue our efforts to create self-assembled structures that mimic tissue, which includes our research on gated synthetic membrane channels and multivalent recognition at biomembranes. Ultimately we hope we will be able to integrate cells into our tissue-mimetic structures, and use our smart biomaterials as "translators" for converting electromagnetic signals into biochemical signals.

 What do enjoy doing in your spare time? 

Like many New Zealanders I enjoy playing sport, and play 5-a-side football twice a week. 

If you could not be a scientist, but could be anything else, what would you be? 

I love reading so I've always thought owning a bookshop would be great; I would also find the ins and outs of running a small business fascinating. 

Interviewed by Philippa Ross