Sam Hay

Sam Hay is Professor of Biophysical Chemistry at the University of Manchester's Department of Chemistry and Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (MIB). His research integrates computational chemistry, quantum mechanics, and experimental biophysics to study enzyme catalysis and biomaterial development. Current projects include quantum tunneling in enzymes, computational enzymology, and instrument/method development.

His research interests focus on quantum mechanical phenomena in biological systems, particularly hydrogen transfer reactions where quantum tunneling plays a critical role. The group employs molecular dynamics simulations combined with density functional theory to model enzyme active sites, and develops machine learning approaches for analyzing biomolecular data. Key application areas include viral enzyme mechanisms (e.g., SARS-CoV-2 methyltransferase) and engineered enzyme systems for sustainable chemistry.

Recent work shows strong trends in computational-experimental hybrid methodologies, with publications spanning quantum enzymology, biomaterials informatics, and enzyme engineering. The group frequently collaborates with industrial partners (BAE Systems, NPL, EnginZyme) and international institutions (NUS Singapore).

• RSC Rita and John Cornforth Award (2009)
• BBSRC David Phillips fellowship (2010)

Hay supervises 9 current PhD students and has mentored 15 alumni now at institutions including AstraZeneca, Brandeis University, and Emory University. His research is funded through BBSRC, EPSRC, and industry partnerships including a major project with A*STAR Singapore. The group operates shared facilities within the MIB and collaborates extensively with the Department of Chemistry's computational resources.