“I never imagined I’d become a chemist, but now I get to help develop technologies that have the potential to change people’s lives.”
Andrew Carrod – LightOx Meet the Team
Andrew Carrod joined LightOx as Senior Chemist in 2025 and plays a key role in developing the company’s innovative light-activated technologies. Combining expertise in chemistry, photophysics and medicinal research, Andrew works at the forefront of designing new compounds that have the potential to transform wound care and cancer treatment. We caught up with Andrew to learn more.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your role at LightOx and when you joined?
I’m Andrew Carrod, Senior Chemist at LightOx. I joined the company in October 2025, coming into a role that focused on the chemistry behind our emerging light-activated antimicrobials. Day to day, that involves taking a lead in designing, synthesising and optimising new photoactive compounds, supporting the development and advising on the direction of the programme, and working closely with colleagues in (micro)biology, formulation and wider project teams.
What inspired you to become a chemist and pursue a career in scientific research?
It would be neat and easy to say I had always loved chemistry or understanding how things work at a molecular level. The truth is, I did not get especially strong grades in chemistry at high school and never imagined I would study at university, in any subject. But my chemistry teacher encouraged me not to miss an opportunity to go whilst I was young, to start the chemistry degree at Hull and see where it took me.
I absolutely loved it. I was drawn to the breadth of the subject: the precision of physical chemistry, the creativity of molecular design, and the chance to make compounds with properties that could help solve real-world challenges. By my third year, I knew I wanted to stay in research, complete a PhD, and keep contributing small pieces to much bigger scientific puzzles.
Can you tell us about your career journey so far and the experiences that brought you to LightOx?
I touched on my slightly shaky start already, but after my first couple of years at the University of Hull, I got my first real taste of the chemical synthesis industry during a placement year at Sealed Air in Utrecht. I then returned to university and completed my master’s project on photoactive molybdenum complexes, which really cemented my interest in photophysics and organometallic chemistry.
That led me to a PhD at Birmingham, where I worked on iridium complexes for sensing, followed by a four-year Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Gothenburg, studying photoactive molecules for up conversion. I later returned to the UK to work on medicinal chemistry and synthesis projects in Glasgow.
Over time, though, I realised I missed the physical chemistry and spectroscopy side of things. So, when I saw that LightOx was looking for someone with my skillset, and the role combined synthesis, spectroscopy and the chance to lead work on an innovative light-activated wound care programme, it felt like a very natural and exciting move.
As Senior Research Chemist, what role do you play in developing LightOx’s new technologies?
I’m fortunate to work for a company that gives people responsibility, so my role is broader than the job title might suggest.
As a chemist at LightOx, much of my work is lab-based: designing and making new photoactive molecules, characterising them, and analysing results from light-activation experiments. I also work closely with a great colleague and fantastic microbiologist Joy, to understand her data and decide how we can use that to optimise the next compounds and experiments in the series.
Alongside the science, I’m involved in the work that helps move the programme forward, including project planning, budgeting, grant applications, and discussions with external stakeholders and potential collaborators. That mix of hands-on chemistry and wider project development I hope drives the project, but also means no two days are quite the same, which makes the role both engaging and rewarding
LightOx is working to tackle significant healthcare challenges across areas such as oral cancer and wound care. What excites you most about this area of research?
They are huge challenges, and that is exactly what makes the work so motivating. Oral cancer, chronic wounds and antimicrobial resistance all have a real human impact, so the potential to contribute to technologies that could improve diagnosis, treatment or patient outcomes is enormously exciting.
From a chemistry point of view, it is also a fascinating area to work in. We are trying to design molecules that do very specific things under very specific conditions, which brings together synthesis, photophysics, microbiology and formulation. That combination of scientific challenge and potential patient benefit is what excites me most.
What has been the most interesting challenge, breakthrough or project you’ve worked on during your time at LightOx?
That is a difficult one, because LightOx always has plenty of interesting plates spinning. We are seeing growing interest in both military and civilian applications of our wound care technology, including through NATO DIANA, while also moving closer to clinical trials in the oral cancer programme. It feels like a very exciting time to be involved.
One of the most interesting projects for me has been working closely with Joy and a visiting microbiologist to help develop an initial wound model and tolerability testing model. The aim was to create something that could inform dosing and help predict treatment outcomes more rapidly. It is not something most chemists get to do regularly, and the work has produced useful outputs that put us in a strong position to keep accelerating the wound care programme.
Looking ahead, what impact do you hope the research and innovations being developed at LightOx could have?
Wounds affect almost everyone at some point, but for many people they can become serious, painful and difficult to treat. At the same time, antimicrobial resistance is becoming a runaway train as existing antibiotics lose effectiveness. I hope our work can help give clinicians new options and, ultimately give patients more time, better outcomes and a better quality of life.
That impact does not have to be overly dramatic to matter. It could mean reducing pain for wound patients, supporting smaller excision margins for cancer patients, or helping healthcare workers feel less pressure on their time. If our technologies can make even some of those improvements possible, that would be hugely meaningful.
When you’re not in the lab, how do you like to unwind?
I’m a big rugby fan and enjoy watching the All Blacks whenever I can. I do think rugby is the better sport, (sorry football fans) but I enjoy watching almost any sport live. While I was in Sweden, I tried to get to as many GAIS matches as possible, and I’m hoping to make it to a Newcastle game soon.
I also enjoy visiting good local pubs and breweries, and at some point, I would like to try home brewing. It feels like a natural next step from enjoying the finished product.
Who are the four guests (past or present) you’d invite to your dream dinner party and why?
The old-faithful dinner party question. People may have opinions on this, but I would keep it simple: my mother, father, brother and partner.
There is no happier thought for me than sitting in the garden on a warm summer evening, eating barbecue food and having a few refreshing drinks with those people. In that moment, I would be very happy to ignore all the great figures from history and the present.
Finally, if you weren’t a scientist, what would your dream job be?
I think I would probably have tried something language-focused. I enjoy learning languages, exploring different cultures and finding ways to communicate across them. I speak a couple fluently, so perhaps I would have looked at a career in diplomacy, intelligence or international work of some kind.
Whatever the exact route, I think I would still have wanted a role that involved problem-solving, learning quickly and doing something useful for people.
For more information on LightOx – visit www.lightox.co.uk or connect with Andrew here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-carrod-484004132/
