Organic
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
S.D. and Karen H. Worley Associate Professor
rrk0008@auburn.edu
PhD Cornell University Weill Graduate School of Medical Science (2014)
Disciplines: organic, medicinal, synthesis
Our research group is interested in the synthesis, diversification, and structure-activity relationship studies of natural products for identifying new bioactive scaffolds. Methodology development is also an important part of our research program as it allows to overcome the unique synthetic challenges associated with the synthesis and late stage functionalization of complex natural products. We are particularly interested in the natural product scaffolds for the treatment of neurological disorders and infectious diseases.
Associate Professor
blm0022@auburn.edu
PhD Memorial University of Newfoundland (2010)
Disciplines: organic, synthesis, medicinal, materials
Target-Oriented Chemical Synthesis: Our group’s research program is centered on the development of new synthetic tools and strategies for accessing complex organic molecules. Synthetic targets that are pursued include anticancer natural products, RNA-based therapeutics, medicinally relevant and constrained macrocycles, as well as hydrocarbon materials that can be employed in the bottom-up chemical synthesis of structurally uniform carbon nanostructures.
Assistant Professor
mzs0357@auburn.edu
PhD Australian National University (2019)
Disciplines: organic, medicinal, synthesis
The cutting edge of modern synthetic organic chemistry involves the invention of short syntheses that produce useful quantities of difficult to access natural products and designed target molecules. Our group is interested in the development of new synthetic methods that allow for the generation of highly strained multicyclic molecules from commodity chemicals. Our research group works to employ these methods in the short, scalable, and efficient syntheses of a variety of target molecules -- both natural and designed.