Catalytic Methods for Late-Stage Oxidation Reactions

Late-stage functionalization of molecules offers opportunities in the discovery of new drugs and the development of more efficient routes to target molecules. The ability to selectively functionalize already complex molecules is a powerful strategy that has emerged in recent years. This project will focus on methods which are oxidative in nature and the focus will be on exploring methods that will enable oxidative transformations to be carried out in a selective manner. Implementing oxidation reactions selectively is particularly challenging and the importance of such reactions has led to a renaissance in this area in recent times. A great deal of progress has been made by those working on catalytic methods for oxidation reactions. Nonetheless, most of these studies do not explore complex molecules that contain a number of functional groups. This project will explore fundamental oxidative transformations on molecules that have features that are “drug like” structurally. The aim of this project is to develop an understanding of the scope of oxidative methods, what governs selectivity, gain insights into the limitations and to develop new methods which have superior performance. 

The successful candidate will be supervised at QUB by Dr Muldoon and Dr Knipe who have the appropriate complimentary expertise for this exciting project. The project will be in collaboration with Genentech, which is part of the Roche group, and is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. The discovery research team at Genentech, (based at their headquarters in South San Francisco, USA) will work closely with the QUB team to mentor the student and guide the research project. The student will also have the opportunity to carry out a placement/internship at Genentech’s laboratories in South San Francisco. Overall, this studentship will not only provide excellent academic training but enable the student to obtain valuable industrial insights and experience with a world-leading company. Stipend funding available for this project is for 3.5 years.

For more information please contact: Dr Mark Muldoon ([Email Address Removed]) 

Applications must be submitted online, by the deadline, using the QUB Direct Application Portal https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/user/u_login.php