Daniel Wigh
Co-Founder @ ReactWise
PhD Machine Learning for Chemistry
University of Cambridge
My Bio
Hi, I'm Daniel, thank you for visiting my page! Originally from Denmark, I came to the UK to study chemical engineering at Imperial College London, followed by a PhD in Machine Learning for Chemistry at University of Cambridge. My research focus was understanding and predicting the outcomes of chemical reactions. I am currently building ReactWise, and we are on a mission to revolutionise chemistry by making machine learning accessible all chemists and building autonomous laboratories. When I am not working you can usually either find me running, rowing, or making short-form videos about maths and chemistry.
Education
October 2019 - December 2024
PhD Machine Learning for Chemistry, University of Cambridge
In my PhD I worked on computational prediction of chemical reactions under the supervision of Prof. Alexei Lapkin in the Sustainable Reaction Engineering group. I worked on developing novel algorithms rooted in a mechanistic understanding of the chemistry, while also exploring how open source machine learning frameworks can be adapted for chemistry. I also supervised the first year mathematics & computing course for engineering students.
October 2015 - June 2019
MEng Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London
I took all the courses one would expect from a chemical engineering degree, while also adding a few business electives. I spent two summers interning in banking, yet it was during my final year research project on optimisation of biogas exploitation I became interested in developing computational solutions. From this followed an urge to develop my computational skills, and this ultimately led me to pursuing a PhD.
Experience
June 2022 - August 2022
Quantitative Finance Intern, Bank of America
Generated signal from internal credit data using various internal & external Python libraries
October 2021 - May 2022
Undergraduate Teaching Supervisor, University of Cambridge
I supervised first year engineering students from St Edmund's, Hughes Hall, and Murray Edwards College in mathematics and computing.
June 2018 - August 2018
Equity Research Intern, Barclays Investment Bank
Placed in the European Chemicals Team in London I spent the summer researching the pertinent Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues of this sector. I also had the opportunity to pitch Thomas Cook & Maersk to an audience that included Managing Directors from equity research & sales, and wrote a thematic research report analysing how blockchain will disrupt online advertising.
June 2017 - August 2017
Large Corporates & RBWM Intern, HSBC
This rotational internship provided a broad introduction to the world of banking for me. I spent four weeks in London Large Corporates and four weeks in Retail Banking and Wealth Management (RBWM), and at the end of the internship I was selected from 120 interns for the HSBC Future Leader Award “In appreciation of the continuous effort to develop himself and others”.
April 2017
Spring Week Intern, Barclays Investment Bank
Introduction to Front Office roles through case studies, workshops and networking with senior business leaders.
Volunteering
July 2021 -
Treasurer, Cambridge Longevity Society
CU Longevity Society is a student-led initiative at Cambridge wanting to inspire, discuss and share the latest developments on ageing and longevity.
August 2018 - July 2019
Chair, Knowledge Management Group (ICU)
Elected to represent all 29 career, education, and discussion societies (3000+ members) in Imperial College Union (ICU) on Union Council. Went on to receive the Union’s Outstanding Service Award.
August 2018 - July 2019
President, Imperial Scandinavian Society
Organised the first Imperial-LSE Nordic Boat Party, attracting over 150 Scandinavians and ScanFans across London. Also hosted smaller scale events at Imperial throughout the year.
August 2017 - July 2018
CIO, Imperial Investment Society
As Chief Investment Officer (CIO), I led educational society investment meetings, presenting in front of 50-350 people regularly. Additionally, we won the QuidsIn Investment Competition 2018.