PhD/MPhil in Chemistry - Organic Synthesis in Cardiff United Kingdom | Cardiff University

The School of Chemistry has established significant expertise in Organic Synthesis, housing a specialized research team focused on this dynamic field. Students enrolled in the Chemistry (PhD/MPhil) program have the opportunity to pursue their research projects within this group. The Organic Synthesis team primarily concentrates on creating innovative synthetic techniques and implementing them in target molecule production, typically involving natural substances or compounds with pharmaceutical and agricultural applications. Research directions frequently emerge from analyzing the structural characteristics of these target molecules. Current key research areas include both saturated and heteroaromatic heterocyclic synthesis. Responding to industrial needs and environmental concerns, much of this work focuses on developing highly efficient catalytic approaches for compound generation, potentially involving novel heterogeneous catalysts, flow system reactions, or innovative rearrangement and radical chemistry techniques. A prominent research focus involves synthesizing compounds through electrophile-mediated nucleophile addition to unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds. The group maintains its longstanding investigation of pericyclic reactions, including Diels-Alder processes, various sigmatropic rearrangements, and electrocyclic transformations. Organocatalysis research, growing in importance due to transition metal toxicity concerns, forms another significant aspect of the group's work. Current research targets encompass complex polycyclic peptides, alkaloids, steroids, terpene alkaloids, and oxygen-containing plant heterocycles.

Program durations: PhD - 3 years full-time, MPhil - 1 year full-time