Biography

After graduating with a Diploma in Chemistry from Philipps-University Marburg (Germany) in 2007 I started my PhD with Prof. Steven V. Ley FRS at the University of Cambridge (UK). Here my research focused on the development of new continuous flow approaches towards important organic transformations and selected natural products that have since found widespread applications in both academia and industry. Upon completion of my PhD I was awarded a Feodor Lynen Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation (Germany) allowing me to join the group of Prof. Larry E. Overman at the University of California Irvine (U.S.A.). During these 2 years my research focused on the total synthesis of alkaloid and terpene natural products as well as their analogues including their biological evaluation. This has resulted in a new anti-cancer drug candidate currently entering clinical studies through Novonco Therapeutics in the United States. In 2013 I returned to the UK to take a postdoctoral position with Prof. Ian R. Baxendale at the University of Durham, where I combined my interests in continuous flow technology and the synthesis of bioactive target molecules. In 2017 I moved to Ireland to join University College Dublin as an Assistant Professor in Continuous Flow Chemistry to pursue my independent career.

Expertise

Development of continuous flow processes and their subsequent application to various synthesis challenges within Organic Chemistry. Creation of safe methods for generating and using highly reactive intermediates, the synthesis of bioactive heterocyclic architectures, natural products and their analogues as well as modern continuous photochemical methods and cover scales from milligrams to kilograms.