Whist she was originally considering majoring in astronomy, her freshman advisor recommended she tried a class in chemistry, and Bowman-James was instantly inspired.
[3] Bowman-James is interested in host–guest chemistry for the design of supramolecular assemblies and ions that are relevant for biology and environmental science.
This chemistry allows the design of molecules that can capture two guests: chemical mustards and negatively charged ions (anions).
[4] Bowman-James has designed molecules that can bind to and neutralise the toxicity of mustard gas, allowing for it to be identified and decommissioned.
Her early work considered polyammonium macrocycles as enzyme mimics, whilst her later research evaluated the structural motifs of halides and oxoanions.