Our research focuses on developing a deeper understanding of how and why chemical reactions occur in the way that they do. The particular kinds of reactions we’re interested in are ones initiated by absorption of light or collisions with electrons, leading to excitation/ionisation of the molecule. This sort of chemistry is found in a wide-range of natural contexts, e.g. reactions in the Earth's atmosphere and the interstellar medium, or radiative damage to molecules in biological tissue. They are also harnessed in technological applications such as functional materials or plasma generation. We conduct the majority of our research in the gas phase, where we can study the intrinsic behaviour of the system, free from complications due to interactions with the bulk environment (e.g. solvents). This fundamental insight into molecular properties is critical to validate high level quantum chemical electronic structure theory and molecular dynamics simulation techniques, which are heavily relied upon in all areas of chemistry research. Our hope is that the knowledge we generate helps guides others towards solutions to questions or challenges facing our society.