Dr Phill Rendle has an interest in the diagnosis and treatment of rare disorders through a molecular understanding of the cause of these conditions along with providing a synthetic chemistry resource to the design of radiopharmaceuticals.

He is also responsible for managing the client relationships for the Ferrier Research Institute’s fee-for-service contract research activity. “Communication is a really important part of this job. All clients are different and have different approaches and needs. I make sure we are providing solutions that is targeted to each client’s requirements.”

Contract chemical manufacture often begins with refining the synthetic route. If larger amounts are then required for clinical trials, the synthesis can progress to GlycoSyn’s process development team and then cGMP facility on-site to manufacture material of the required quality requirements. 
“I work very closely with GlycoSyn so it’s a seamless transition for clients. We transfer all we know about the chemistry, making the process as efficient as possible.”

Problem-solving is an important part of Phill’s role. “It’s inevitable that things sometimes don’t go as planned with the chemistry, but we can nearly always find a way around the hurdle. Because we are totally open with our clients, they are kept fully up to date with what’s going on, so there are no surprises which is really appreciated.”

Phill studied for his PhD at the University of Canterbury with post-docs at Durham and Oxford Universities in the UK then worked at Industrial Research Ltd before joining Victoria University of Wellington in 2014.

Outside work, his main interest is Wellington Batucada—an energetic Brazilian-style percussion band. The group of 100 musicians and dancers play in street parades and music festivals.