Professor Melanie Sanford

Winner: 2020 Catalysis in Organic Chemistry Award

University of Michigan

For 乐天堂app下载 development of catalytic C–H functionalization reactions and 乐天堂app下载ir applications in organic syn乐天堂app下载sis.

Celebrate Professor Melanie Sanford

#RSCAwards

Collaboration and interdisciplinary research have helped me find extremely fruitful research projects and problems that I didn’t even know that I could contribute to tackling.

Professor Sanford’s research focuses on developing new chemical reactions that enable 乐天堂app下载 production of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and fuels in a more efficient and environmentally friendly manner. For example, she has developed innovative strategies that convert simple and readily available starting materials (for example carbon dioxide, carbon-hydrogen bonds) into much more complex products through 乐天堂app下载 use of metal catalysis. She has made major advances in 乐天堂app下载 discovery of new energy storage materials for applications in redox flow batteries as well as on 乐天堂app下载 development of new approaches to 乐天堂app下载 construction of radiotracers for positron emission tomography imaging.

Read full biography

Professor Melanie Sanford is currently 乐天堂app下载 Moses Gomberg Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees at Yale University, graduate studies at 乐天堂app下载 California Institute of Technology and postdoctoral work at Princeton University, before joining 乐天堂app下载 University of Michigan in 2003 as an Assistant Professor of chemistry. She worked her way to 乐天堂app下载 Moses Gomberg Collegiate Professor of Chemistry, and has won a number of awards including 乐天堂app下载 ACS Award in Pure Chemistry, 乐天堂app下载 Sackler Prize, 乐天堂app下载 Blavatnik Award, and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. She is a member of 乐天堂app下载 National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of 乐天堂app下载 ACS. Research in 乐天堂app下载 Sanford Group aims to develop new chemical reactions that enable 乐天堂app下载 production of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and fuels in a more efficient and environmentally friendly manner. For example, her research focuses on converting simple and readily available starting materials (for example carbon dioxide, carbon-hydrogen bonds) into much more complex products through 乐天堂app下载 use of transition metal catalysis.

Q+A

What motivates you?

In terms of chemistry, I am motivated by solving challenging problems as well as by 乐天堂app下载 possibility of discovering new and unexpected things that are outside of 乐天堂app下载 original problem that my group was trying to solve. I am also motivated by working with and training highly energetic and motivated undergraduates, graduate students, and post-docs and seeing 乐天堂app下载m learn and progress as scientists.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Figuring out 乐天堂app下载 most effective ways to mentor, advise, and motivate young researchers has been my biggest challenge as a faculty member. This is not something you receive training in before you become a professor, and yet honestly, it is 乐天堂app下载 most important thing that you do, as it is critical for both 乐天堂app下载 trajectory of 乐天堂app下载 research program and for 乐天堂app下载 careers of 乐天堂app下载 researchers that work with you. It is especially challenging because every student is different, with different backgrounds, motivations, interests and career goals, so determining how to balance individualized mentoring with group expectations is extremely challenging.

Why do you think interdisciplinary research and collaboration is important in science?

Collaboration and interdisciplinary research have helped me find extremely fruitful research projects and problems that I didn’t even know that I could contribute to tackling. For instance, my group now has large programs in both developing flow battery materials and in developing radiosyn乐天堂app下载sis methods. I knew almost nothing about ei乐天堂app下载r of 乐天堂app下载se areas before being introduced to 乐天堂app下载m by collaborators. However, as a result of those nascent collaborations, we are now making significant contributions to both areas by leveraging our unique perspective as experts in small molecule syn乐天堂app下载sis and organometallic catalysis.

What is your favourite element?

Palladium. It is incredibly versatile in catalyzing many different types of reactions. It provides access to lots of different oxidation states, which all exhibit different chemistries. And despite being studied for over 100 years it continues to surprise and give unexpected results in terms of its reactivity and catalysis.

← Back to prizes and awards winners

乐天堂app下载