Professor George Fleet
Biography
I give tutorial classes in organic chemistry throughout the three years of the course. Much of the teaching is problem based in order to build up both mechanistic and synthetic expertise across a broad range of the subject. There is some [but not much] specialisation in the third year; if you choose some of the topics I know little about, you will be taught by experts in other colleges on an exchange arrangement. In the department I give second year lecture courses on saturated ring chemistry, and on oxidation and reduction in organic chemistry. I also organise and contribute to a second year supplementary subject on aromatic heterocyclic and pharmaceutical chemistry.
Research Interests
The organic chemistry of sugars, with interests in the study of hereditary, including Tay-Sachs, Sandhoffs and Gauchers diseases, and errors in mannose metabolism, viral diseases including HJV and CMV, tuberculosis, late onset diabetes, inflammation processes, pep-tidomimetics, DNA antibodies, dendrimers and highly branched molecules, novel organic materials including surfactants, environmentally friendly paints and coatings, and anything with a lot of hydroxyl groups.