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ETN CHAIR (C-H Activation for Industrial Renewal)  PhD positions in Organic Chemistry and Catalysis

ETN CHAIR (C-H Activation for Industrial Renewal) PhD positions in Organic Chemistry and Catalysis

ETN CHAIR (C-H Activation for Industrial Renewal)

ETN CHAIR (C-H Activation for Industrial Renewal)

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OPPORTUNITY DETAILS

Total reward
0 $
State University
Deadline
26 Feb 2021
Study level
Opportunity type
PhD
Specialities
Opportunity funding
Not funding
Eligible Countries
This opportunity is destined for all countries
Eligible Region
All Regions

Chemistry PhD positions available in leading laboratories (both academic and industrial) all over Europe to work on state-of-the-art catalysis methodologies for C-H activation.

CHAIR is a project funded by the European Union under the Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Action – Innovative Training Networks (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2019) Grant Agreement nr 860762.

The position is open to candidates of any nationality, as long as they fulfill the requirements set for the ESRs funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions:

Applications must be submitted through our website: https://chair-itn.eu/applications/

PhD project at AstraZeneca R&D Gotenburg

PhD Project Title: “Molecular diversity via direct C-H functionalization

Principal Investigator: Dr. Magnus J Johansson

PhD Project description: Efforts will focus on discovering new synthetic transformations for chemo-selective C-H functionalizations using earth abundant catalysts. Commercial drugs or druglike motifs will be targeted. The late-stage functionalization (LSF) will be achieved using a specific coordinating moiety inherently present in drugs . High throughput experimentation will be performed to identify suitable catalytic systems. Ultimately the biological activity along with physical, chemical and DMPK properties of newly accessed derivatives will be assessed.

Description of the work: ESR12 will develop, based on the expertise of the group and their recent results,[1] new catalytic C-H activation processes promoting highly regioselective functionalization of bioactive molecules. The attention will be focused on direct selective activation of scaffolds bearing various directing group motifs. High throughput experimentation will be performed to identify suitable catalytic systems. In collaboration with University of Göttingen, sustainable/green processes utilizing 3d metals will be developed. Furthermore heterogeneous process will be investigated during secondment to University of Lisbon.

Relevant skills that will be considered are:

Planned secondments: " Secondments: University of Göttingen (Ackermann): 3d-metals for late stage functionalization; University of Lisbon (Kirilov): late stage diversification using heterogeneous catalysts).

PhD Project at Thales Nano

Principal Investigator: Dr. Gellert Sipos

PhD Project Title: Efficient and sustainable synthesis of new chiral ligands for homogeneous catalysis

PhD Project description:

Development of sustainable protocols for C-H arylations in the following areas:
• Methodology development using heterogeneous Pd-based catalysts.
• Design and development of homogenous catalytic systems using continuous flow technology with key focus on asymmetric synthesis.
• Multigram synthesis of targeted chiral scaffolds using low Pd-catalyst loadings.

Relevant skills that will be considered are:
- Practical experience in analytical methods (NMR, MS, HPLC)
- Good level of English proficiency (understood, spoken and written)
- Skills in scientific writing (reports, papers, etc.)
- Team spirit and collaborative predisposition
- Desirable extra competences: background in C-H activation / functionalization, catalysis or flow chemistry

Planned secondments: Secondments (2 × 3 months) at CNRS

PhD project at the University of Zurich

PhD Project Title: C-H functionalization reactions with alkenes as directing groups

Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Cristina Nevado, http://www.nevadogroup.com/

PhD Project description: the objectives of this project is the direct conversion of olefin containing feedstock into high value-added building blocks.

In this project we aim to:

1) develop earth-abundant metal catalyzed protocols for the functionalization of olefins

2) design ligand templates that enable the migration of the C(sp3)-M bond across the aliphatic systems in a stereocontrolled manner

3) Investigate the functionalization of in situ produced remote organo-radical/metal intermediates towards C-C and C-X (X = O, N, Halogen) bond forming reactions

4) The newly developed reactions will be used to prepare building blocks of value for the industrial partners.

Relevant skills that will be considered are:

Planned secondments:

ESR4 will be seconded to Syngenta (M18-M20) and Astrazeneca (M30-M32).

PhD project at RWTH Aachen University

PhD Project Title: Rationally designed C-H functionalization.

Principal Investigator: Prof. Franziska Schoenebeck; Associate Investigator: Dr. Ignacio Funes-Ardoiz, https://www.schoenebeck.oc.rwth-aachen.de/

PhD Project description: The Schoenebeck group has a passion to explore and develop fundamentally new reactivity concepts with the aim to overcome pertinent challenges in synthesis and catalysis with respect to selectivity, scope and the installation of enabling functionality. To this end, our team combines detailed mechanistic studies with a cutting edge synthetic chemistry program. Recent research highlights include the demonstration of dinuclear Pd(I) catalysis concept,[4] nickel metalloradical catalysis,[5] the establishment of organogermanes as orthogonal coupling motifs[6] as well as organofluorine chemistry.[7] We employ state-of-the-art computational chemistry, which range from studying the molecular origins of reactivities to machine-learning-guided chemistry, as well as laboratory based experimentation. Co-workers are trained to master a number of tools while tackling challenges at the forefront of organic chemistry research, and being exposed to a stimulating research environment.

Description of the work: We invite applications for a PhD position, as an early stage researcher (ESR3) within the International Training Network on C-H functionalization. The project will be highly collaborative and aims to study fundamentally new C-H functionalization concepts, including synthetic work as well as computational studies (DFT and ML).

Relevant skills that will be considered are:

Planned secondments: periods of international stays in industry and academia.

PhD project at the University of Strasbourg

PhD Project Title: Asymmetric C(sp3)-H activation for the synthesis of chiral aliphatic building blocks for pharmaceutical and agrochemical applications

Principal Investigator: Dr. Joanna Wencel-Delord, http://syncat.unistra.fr

PhD Project description: Small, three-dimensional chiral molecules are attractive to pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries as increased selectivity and less side effects may be expected due to specific interactions of such compounds with enzymatic active sites. However, the synthesis of chiral, aliphatic alkane derivatives is far from trivial and reactions based on enantioselective C-H activation remain rare.[8] Yet, accessing alkanes motifs endowed of stereogenic centers via functionalization of simple, non-prefunctionalized substrates appears as one of the most straightforward and appealing strategies, as intermediately generated metallacycles can be potentially converted into a panel of congeners. Besides, such an approach offers new perspectives for late-stage functionalization of advanced intermediates.

Description of the work: ESR1 will develop, based on the expertise of the group and their recent results,[9] new chiral ligands promoting highly stereo-discriminant metalation of small alkane motifs of interest for the industrial partners. The attention will be focused on direct enantioselective functionalization of scaffolds bearing cycloalkane motifs. Once functionalization of simple substrates is achieved, the newly developed catalytic systems will be used, in collaboration with AstraZenec and Syngenta, for late stage functionalization drug- and agrochemical-like molecules.

Relevant skills that will be considered are:

Planned secondments: "1 secondment (3 months) in AstraZeneca and 1 secondment in Syngenta

[1] Friis S, Johansson M J, Ackermann L; Nature Chemistry, 2020, 511–519.

[2] Rogge, T.; Ackermann, L. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 15640-15645.

[3] a) Schischko, A.; Kaplaneris, N.; Rogge, T.; Sirvinskaite, G.; Son, J.; Ackermann, L. Nature Commun. 2019, 10, 3553; b) Friis, S. D.; Johansson, M. J.; Ackermann, L. Nature Chem. 2020, 12, 511-519.

[4] For recent examples, see: (a) I. Kalvet, K. Deckers, I. Funes-Ardoiz, G. Magnin, T. Sperger, M. Kremer, F. Schoenebeck, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 7721; (b) M. Mendel, I. Kalvet, D. Hupperich, G. Magnin, F. Schoenebeck, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 2115.

[5] A. Kapat, T. Sperger, S. Guven, F. Schoenebeck, Science 2019, 363, 391

[6] For recent examples, see: (a) A. Dahiya, C. Fricke, F. Schoenebeck, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 17, 7754; (b) G. J. Sherborne, A. G. Gevondian, I. Funes-Ardoiz, A. Dahiya, C. Fricke, F. Schoenebeck, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed 2020, DOI: 10.1002/anie.202005066

[7] For recent examples, see: (a) S. Bouayad-Gervais, T. Scattolin, F. Schoenebeck, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed 2020, 59, 11908; (b) T. Scattolin, S. Bouayad-Gervais, F. Schoenebeck, Nature 2019, 573, 102.

[8] Jerhaoui, S.; Djukic, J.-P.; Wencel-Delord, J.; Colobert, F. ACS Catal. 2019, 9, 2532–2542

[9] For selected reviews see : a) Zheng, C.; You, S.-L. RSC Adv. 2014, 4, 6173–6214 ; b) Saint-Denis, T. G.; Zhu, R.-Y.; Chen, G.; Wu, Q.-F.; Yu, J.-Q. Science 2018, 359, 4798 ; c) Newton, C. G.; Wang, S.-G.; Oliveira, C. C.; Cramer, N. Chem. Rev. 2017, 117, 8908

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