Dr Thomas Farmer is leader of the Clean Synthesis Technology Platform within the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the University of York, UK. His research focuses on the development of cleaner manufacturing technologies and processes where efficiency is maximised and waste is minimised. This includes the application of microwave and ultrasound reactors, heterogeneous catalysis, enzymatic catalysis and the development of new sustainable solvents. Thomas is an expert in biomass building-block chemicals (platform molecules) for the production of higher value chemicals. He completed his PhD in at the University of York in 2008 on the synthesis of bio-based water-soluble polymers. He worked for Unilever PLC as a Polymer Scientist between 2008-2010 and then as post doc at the University of Leeds on the extraction of chemicals from seaweed. He returned to York in 2011 to take a position as a senior researcher for clean synthesis. His current research projects include the formation of various polymer classes using bio-derived platform molecules (Sustainable Polymers, EPSRC; EnzPoly, BBSRC) as well as new safer bio-based solvents (ReSolve, H2020/BBI).