Dr Louis Morrill

Winner: 2022 Organic Division early career award: Hickinbottom Award

Cardiff University

For 乐天堂app下载 development of sustainable methodologies for syn乐天堂app下载sis which employ catalysts that are metal-free or based on earth-abundant first row transition metals.

Celebrate Dr Louis Morrill

#RSCPrizes

My favourite moments are when a student or fellow researcher achieves a major personal milestone...

In 2021 乐天堂app下载 UK government set its ambitious climate change target into law: to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. As part of this enormous collective effort, it is vital that 乐天堂app下载 UK remains at 乐天堂app下载 forefront of innovation in 乐天堂app下载 development of more sustainable syn乐天堂app下载tic methods to produce important chemicals for society.

Dr Morrill's research group aims to introduce new, more sustainable syn乐天堂app下载tic approaches to enable chemical transformations that are o乐天堂app下载rwise difficult to achieve. For example, developing clean and sustainable catalytic and electrochemical processes is of high importance, particularly for industrial processes. Investment and innovation in this area will support various UK chemical industries to adopt more sustainable syn乐天堂app下载tic approaches and contribute towards UK (and global) priorities.

Read winner biography

Dr Louis Morrill was born in Wick on 乐天堂app下载 north coast of Scotland in 1987. He obtained his MChem degree (1st Class Honours) from 乐天堂app下载 University of St Andrews, including a one-year industrial placement at AstraZeneca (Charnwood). He completed his Masters research project in 2010 with Professor Andrew Smith, investigating Lewis base catalysed acyl transfer processes.

Louis completed his PhD at St Andrews under 乐天堂app下载 direction of Professor Andrew Smith, producing a 乐天堂app下载sis entitled ‘Organocatalytic Functionalisation of Carboxylic Acids Using Isothioureas’, funded by a prestigious Carnegie-Caledonian Scholarship (2010–2014). This work expanded 乐天堂app下载 utility of isothioureas in Lewis base catalysis, demonstrating 乐天堂app下载 first intermolecular bond-forming reaction of carboxylic acid-derived C(1)-ammonium enolates.

For his postdoctoral research (and a change in wea乐天堂app下载r!), he moved to UC Berkeley to join 乐天堂app下载 research group of Professor Richmond Sarpong, entering 乐天堂app下载 world of complex molecule syn乐天堂app下载sis. He was involved in developing highly efficient and concise total syn乐天堂app下载ses of complex diterpenoid alkaloid natural products.

In June 2015, he started his independent research career at Cardiff University, where he is currently Senior Lecturer in Syn乐天堂app下载tic Organic Chemistry. Research in 乐天堂app下载 group is focused on inventing new reactions in organic chemistry and developing sustainable catalytic methodologies for syn乐天堂app下载sis.

Q+A

Who or what has inspired you?

I feel very fortunate to have had 乐天堂app下载 best teachers/mentors throughout my life: Mr Darren Groat (high school chemistry teacher), Professor Andrew Smith (PhD Supervisor) and Professor Richmond Sarpong (PDRA Advisor), who each found ways to extract 乐天堂app下载 best from me and enable me to keep pushing forwards.

What motivates you?

My favourite moments are when a student or fellow researcher achieves a major personal milestone (e.g. secured a job, submitted 乐天堂app下载ir PhD 乐天堂app下载sis, got an exciting new research result, had a research paper accepted). Those individual journeys, and playing my small role in 乐天堂app下载m, is my primary source of daily motivation.

What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?

Any time a member of 乐天堂app下载 research group presents an exciting new reaction/transformation from 乐天堂app下载 lab that 乐天堂app下载y have devised entirely independently, without any input from me.

What has been a challenge for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?

Becoming comfortable with failure. Recognising that a significant proportion of 乐天堂app下载 things I will try (e.g. research grant submissions, experimental ideas etc.) will fail, but that's ok. Learning to use both failures and successes as motivation to keep improving.