Dr Alex Hamilton

Associate Investigator

Towards Zero Carbon - Catalytic Architectures

Address:
School of Chemical & Physical Sciences
AM 202, Alan Macdiarmid Building,
Victoria University of Wellington,
Kelburn Parade, Wellington, 6012, New Zealand

• 
• alex.hamilton@vuw.ac.nz

Biography

Alex completed his PhD in 2010 on computational and structural organometallic chemistry at the University of Bristol under the supervision of Professor A. Guy Orpen and Professor Jeremy N. Harvey. He then moved to ICIQ in Spain for a postdoctoral research fellowship in computational catalysis with Professor Carles Bo. In 2013 he undertook a one-year teaching fellowship in physical chemistry at Massey University, Palmerston North. From there he moved back to the UK to take up a Lectureship in Physical Chemistry at Sheffield Hallam University. In 2025 he moved to Victoria University of Wellington as a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry.

Research interests

Alex’s research interests are in understanding the operative mechanisms for homogeneous catalytic reactions using computational chemistry. Predominantly his group use quantum chemistry methods, combined with post-wavefunction analysis, to determine rules for rational catalyst design. In recent years his focus has been CO₂ utilisation and C-H activation to aid sustainable chemical synthesis. Alex also has an interest in the application of machine learning methods for exploration of chemical space.