Amie Saidykhan is the daughter of Alagie Saidykhan from Dumbuto, Kiang West and Fatou Ceesay from Bakau and Salikenni. She was born in Bakau and attended Ndow’s before moving to Sweden to live with her parents. In Stockholm, she enrolled in a private International English School and completed with top grades.
Young Amie then proceeded to England where she obtained her BSc (First Class Honours) and MChem (with Distinction) Degrees in Chemistry with Pharmaceutical and Forensic Science at the University of Bradford in July 2011. She was awarded the JOEL Prize for the best MChem graduate in her cohort of students.
She elected to remain at Bradford to do a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry and mass spectrometry under the supervision of Dr Richard Bowen and Dr William Martin; her wide-ranging project encompassed many themes, including the synthesis and characterisation of N-heterocycles and the rearrangement and mass spectrometry of sulphonamides, with particular emphasis on indoles, bis-indoles and nicotinic acid derivatives.
After securing her PhD in July 2016, she spent eight months in the same research group continuing her studies of intramolecular nitrogen to carbon rearrangements of orthogonally protected sulphonamides and the synthesis of saccharins.
In March, 2017, Amie joined Dr Nicolas Barry’s group to work on devising a system for the detection, capture and release of carbon monoxide.
Amie has recently joined with Nicolas the SETsquared ICURe Innovation-to-Commercialisation programme which offers university researchers opportunities to validate their ideas in the marketplace.
With her arresting good looks, humility and natural grace, Amie is every parent’s pride and a great inspiration for Gambian girls.
