AJ Martin, MSci (Hons)

A PhD candidate with a passion for biosciences, drug science & harm reduction.

I am a BBSRC LIDo PhD candidate investigating the molecular mechanism of neuronal calcium channel activation at Queen Mary University of London (Kadurin Lab, Blizard Institute), and Co-Project Lead at the Benzo Research Project.
During my MSci Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry degree at Imperial College London, I conducted my research project 'Targeting DNA Replication in Cancer with Designed Peptide Ligands' under the supervision of Dr Anna Barnard, Dr Alexis Barr, and Prof. Christian Speck. I was awarded a First Class honours, and my project presentation won the Runner-up Prize for Undergraduate Research Presentation in Chemical Biology.
During summer 2021, I aided in the creation of the Benzo Research Project: an independent grassroots initiative seeking to understand and improve the lives of young people in the UK who use benzodiazepines. I lead the Research team, co-authored a research report, and presented our findings to healthcare professionals, charities, MPs, and the general public. In December 2023, our founder presented our work at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
Additionally, I was elected Head of Neuropsychopharmacology ('21-22) and Chair ('22-23) of the award-winning Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) society at Imperial. During my time at SSDP Imperial, I created and distributed accessible and evidence-based drug information on our Instagram, formed a partnership with the Drug Science Student Society Network, and helped organise guest lectures from experts in psychopharmacology, harm reduction, and drug policy.