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Speakers

Dr. David Milstein

Professor, Weizmann Institute of Science

In the fields of homogeneous catalysis and organometallic chemistry, Professor David Milstein is a highly renowned pioneering professor. He is credited with discovering fundamentally new ideas in catalysis, creating new catalytic transformations, and making significant progress in the activation of strong covalent bonds using transition-metal complexes of so-called pincer ligands. His family of catalysts, Milstein catalysts, is named after him. 

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Dr. John Gladysz

Professor, Texas A&M University

Professor John A. Gladysz's research has traditionally been centered around organometallic chemistry, and from this core area branches into catalysis, organic synthesis, enantioselective reactions, stereochemistry, mechanism, and materials chemistry. Areas receiving emphasis include (a) structurally novel new families of highly enantioselective catalysts, (b) metal-containing "organocatalysts" and (c) recoverable catalysts, particularly those with "ponytails" of the formula (CH2)m(CF2)nF; these can be recycled via "fluorous" liquid or solid phases, such as Teflon. The other half of his group synthesizes organometallic building blocks for molecular devices. 

Dr. Eduardo Peris Fajarnés

Professor, Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM)

Current Research Topics

  • The design of catalysts for tandem catalytic reactions.

  • The preparation of homogeneous catalysts with rigid polyaromatic tags

  • Preparation of three-dimensional organometallic molecules with cavities,for the recognition of small molecules and selective catalysts.

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Dr. Dominik Munz

Professor, Saarland University

His research group is interested in inorganic and coordination chemistry, energy conversion and organic materials. They focus on methodology and mechanisms including the isolation of reactive  intermediates, their bond-activation chemistry (targeting eventually catalysis), and their spectroscopic properties. They use computational chemistry to guide their synthetic efforts. they are passionate about any type of inorganic and organic chemistry, because they believe that all elements are made equal.  Typically, their research involves carbenes and molecules with small frontier orbital energy gaps such as radicals, diradicals and zwitterions.  Their aim at creative and innovative approaches for long-standing challenges.

Dr. Ian Tonks

Professor, University of Minnesota

Research in the Tonks group is focused on designing new and practical organometallic catalytic transformations for the atom-economical synthesis of complex chemicals from simple feedstocks. We currently have three major research interests:

1. Using early transition metal catalysts for new redox reactions, and understanding how to access early transition metal redox manifolds. 
2. Designing new reactions that incorporate carbon dioxide into versatile and inexpensive polyester polymers.
3. Exploring fundamental inorganic syntheses involving multimetallic and other potentially redox noninnocent regimes.

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Dr. Roman Dobrovetsky

Professor, Tel Aviv University

Research Interest:

  • Synthesis, isolation, characterization and reactivity of new unique main group element based compounds.

  • Synthesis of new radicals, study of their structure and reactivity.

  • Development of new main group based compounds for the activation of small molecules such as H2, N2, O2, H2O, CH4, CO2, CO etc.​

  • Development of new main group based catalysts for various organic transformations.​

  • Main group based polymer and supramolecular chemistry.

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Dr. Hairong Guan

Professor, University of Cincinnati

Research Interest:

(1) nickel, cobalt, iron, and copper complexes bearing POCOP, PNP, or related pincer-type ligands for catalytic reduction of carbonyl functionalities including those in aldehydes, ketones, carbon dioxide, amides, and esters; 
(2) heterobimetallic complexes for catalytic hydrogenation and water-gas shift reactions;
(3) hydrogenation or reduction reactions catalyzed by cobalt particles;
(4) mechanistic studies of copper-catalyzed C-H cyanation and fluorination reactions (in collaboration with Prof. Guosheng Liu at Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry); 
(5) upgrading biorefinery lignin to chemicals (in collaboration with Prof. Maobing Tu at UC Department of Environmental Engineering).

Dr. Beatriz Royo

Professor, Universidade Nova de Lisboa

The Organometallic Chemistry and Catalysis Group works on the synthesis of organometallic compounds with specific properties for their use in catalytic and biological applications. We develop new synthetic strategies based on catalytic methods for the functionalization of organic molecules. We are also interested in developing new metal-based drugs for the treatment of human diseases, such as cancer and microbial infections.

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Dr. John D. Protasiewicz

Professor, Case Western Reserve University

Research Interest:

Protasiewicz group's research efforts span the areas of Inorganic (transition metal and main group chemistry), Organic, Polymer and Materials Chemistry. Their work is synthesis driven and involves characterization of new compounds and materials using a variety of techniques.

Dr. Georgii I. Nikonov

Professor, Brock University

Research Interest:

Organometallic chemistry; Transition metal hydrides; Homogeneous catalysis; New ligand environments; Nonclassical bonding.

Develop new efficient metal catalysts for chemo-, regio-, and enantioselective transformation of organic substrates into value-added products.

Investigate new catalytic methods for reduction of challenging substrates, such as nitriles, amides, esters, and heteroaromatics (pyridines, quinolines etc) and try to make these transformations chemoselectively. Carry out detailed mechanistic studies, trying to understand the action of our catalysts in order to make even better tailor-made systems with predictable properties.

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Dr. Makoto Yamashita

Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology,  Japan

Research Interest:

(1) Elucidation of novel bonding motif in organo-main group element compounds and understanding their properties.

(2) Organometallic chemistry and catalysis for the development of catalysts with aim of industrial application.

Dr. Carola Schulzke

Professor, University of Greifswald

Research Interest:

1. Development of potential therapeutics for the treatment of sulfite oxidase deficiency.

2. Importance of open and closed form of molybdopterin.

3. Fluorescence-based detection of transition metals with dithiolenes.

4. Enantioselective oxidation of prochiral sulfoxides with vanadium dithiolene catalysts.

5. Pentathiepines with biological activity.

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Dr. Ekkehardt Hahn

Professor, Universität Münster

Research Interest

(i) Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of new compounds with low valent group 14 donor atoms.

(ii) Coordination chemistry of a variety of multidentate amine, thiolato and hydroxo ligands with transition metal ions.

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Dr. Shoubhik Das

Professor, Universität Bayreuth

Key research areas are:

  • Catalysis and organic synthesis

  • ​Sustainable Chemistry route

  • Development of novel synthetic methodologies

  • Homogeneous catalysis

  • Heterogeneous catalysis

  • Systainable Synthetic route

  • Depolymerisation of plastics

  • Photodynamic therapy

  • Value added small molecule synthesis

  • Late-stage organic synthesis

Dr. Feliu Maseras

Professor, Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ)

Key research areas are:

Improvement of the efficiency of catalytic processes by computational methods.

 study of a variety of chemical processes of practical interest with the goal of understanding reaction mechanisms and applying this knowledge to the design of more efficient processes. The main focus of research is homogeneous catalysis in collaboration with experimental groups.

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Dr. Uttam Tambar

Professor, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

His research group is interested in three general areas of research. They develop new catalytic reactions, with a focus on enantioselective transformations. they synthesize complex biologically active natural products with unique structural features and biological properties. They integrate their work in these two areas into medicinal chemistry collaborations with laboratories located throughout UT Southwestern for discovery and development of novel therapeutic agents.

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