Dave McGarvey

Biography

I completed the GRSC (Graduate of the Royal Society of Chemistry) at Paisley College of Technology (now University of the West of Scotland) in 1985 and went on to complete a PhD (1988) at the same institution under the supervision of Professor T. George Truscott involving the use of laser flash photolysis techniques to characterise the photochemistry and photophysics of photosensitisers for photodynamic therapy. 

Following postdoctoral positions at the University of Oxford (1988-1990) and Loughborough University (1990-1993), I was appointed Lecturer in Physical Chemistry at Keele University in 1993 and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1999.  At Oxford I worked with Professor Mike Pilling and Professor Gus Hancock using flash photolysis techniques to investigate the gas-phase kinetics of reactions of interest in combustion chemistry before moving to Loughborough to work with Professor Frank Wilkinson on elucidating mechanisms of oxygen quenching of the excited states of organic molecules in solution.  At Keele, I have continued a mixture of basic and applied research in the general area of photophysics and photochemistry with a particular emphasis on the application of flash photolysis techniques to elucidate aspects of the free radical chemistry of carotenoids in the context of their reputed antioxidant properties within biological systems.

I have strong interests in teaching and have been particularly active in the design and assessment of laboratory practicals and practical classes, developing a variety of undergraduate experiments and approaches that combine real-world contexts and activities with the development of employability skills.  I have disseminated much of this work through talks at Universities throughout the UK and Ireland and through a number of publications.  More recently I have explored the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning with a particular focus on the use of digital audio for feedback on assessments and the use of screencasting for feedback and teaching.

In 2011 I received the Royal Society of Chemistry Higher Education Teaching Award:

Awarded in recognition of the significant contribution he has made to chemistry education at third level for over a decade, particularly his implementation and evaluation of innovative and carefully-designed teaching and assessment methods.

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Research and scholarship

My research is concerned with the application of time-resolved spectroscopic methods to the elucidation of the rates and mechanisms of photochemical and free radical processes of biological and medical interest. 

Current research projects include:

Carotenoid Free Radical Chemistry

Epidemiological studies reveal that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is associated with reduced incidence of certain cancers and other diseases.  This may be due to the effects of antioxidants, such as carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E and flavonoids, which are present in such foods.

Carotenoids possess antioxidant properties as a consequence of their free radical scavenging properties.  However many aspects of the free radical properties of carotenoids are not well understood (for example, whether carotenoid free radicals are affected by oxygen leading to chain reactions), and whether these properties are linked with the incidence of disease is not yet clearly established. 

Current research in this area involves collaboration with Professor Andy Young of Liverpool John Moores University and is focused on:

• How carotenoids modify their behaviour towards free radicals when their surrounding molecular environment is altered.
• The influence of structural details of individual carotenoids on their behaviour towards free radicals.
• How the properties of carotenoid free radicals are affected by their surrounding molecular environment.
• How carotenoid free radicals are affected by oxygen and thus deduce whether they are likely to cause free radical chain reactions in biological systems.
• The free radical scavenging properties of carotenoid aggregates and the properties of carotenoid aggregate free radicals.

Photophysics and Photochemistry of Fullerene Derivatives

This project involves characterisation of the photophysical and photochemical properties of new fullerene derivatives with potential biological and medical applications.  The work is carried out in collaboration with several European partners.

Recent research funding includes £100K from the EC for research into ‘Evaluation of the Biological Properties of Fullerenes and Fullerene Derivatives’ and £100K from the Leverhulme Trust for research into ‘Aspects of Carotenoid Free Radical Chemistry of Biological and Medical Relevance’.

Teaching

• CHE-10047 Chemical Concepts and Structure (Module Leader)
• CHE-10048 Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills 1
• CHE-10049 Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills 2
• CHE-10050 Chemical Properties and Reactions (Module Leader)
• CHE-10052 Mathematical Tools and Concepts in Chemistry
• CHE-20027 Medicinal and Biological Chemistry 1
• CHE-20030 Spectroscopy and Analytical Chemistry 
• CHE-20031 Structural Inorganic Chemistry 
• CHE-30038 Chemical Kinetics, Photochemistry and Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms (Module Leader)
• CHE-30002 Dual Honours Research Project
• CHE-30040 Chemistry Research Project
• CHE-30041 Medicinal Chemistry Research Project

Further information

Selected Chemistry Education Publications

1. McGarvey D J and Haxton K J.  ‘Using Audio for Feedback on Assessments: Tutor and Student Experiences’ Higher Education Academy, Physical Sciences Centre, ‘New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences’, ( in press, 2011).
2. Haxton K J and McGarvey D J.  ‘Screencasting as a means of providing timely, general feedback on assessment’  Higher Education Academy, Physical Sciences Centre, ‘New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences’(in press, 2011).
3. McGarvey D J ‘Photochromism in View’.  Educ. Chem. (2008), 45, 84-87
4. McGarvey D J.  ‘Investigating Commercial Sunscreens’.  Educ. Chem. (2007), 44, 116-120
5. McGarvey D J.  ‘Industry-Linked Context-Based Chemistry Practicals’ in Higher Education Academy, Physical Sciences Centre, ‘New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences’, Issue 2 (2006), 57-64.
6. D J McGarvey, ‘Experimenting with Undergraduate Practicals’, U. Chem. Ed., (2004), 8, 58-65
7.  ‘Enhancing Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratories’, by John Carnduff and Norman Reid, Royal Society of Chemistry (2003, D. J. McGarvey’s contribution is example 12 on page 12). 

Teaching-related Grants

Chemistry Education Presentations