Postdoctoral Fellowship: MPS-Ascend: Development of Catalytic, Asymmetric Ritter-Type Reactions of Racemic Precursors

安德烈·桑切斯被授予NSF数学和物理科学上升博士后研究奖学金（NSF MPS-Ascend），以开展与扩大STEM（科学，技术，工程和数学）代表性不足的群体参与有关的研究和活动计划。Sanchez博士的奖学金支持在赞助科学家的指导下进行的题为“MPS-Ascend：外消旋前体的催化、不对称Ritter型反应的发展”的研究项目。奖学金的主办机构是哈佛大学，赞助科学家是埃里克·雅各布森博士。 该提案旨在利用氢键供体（HBD）催化，从容易获得的外消旋前体开发催化的不对称Ritter型反应，以获得用于小分子药物发现的增值手性材料。该研究计划概述了具体的策略，通过确定合适的HBD催化剂框架，利用非共价相互作用的协同网络，实现所需的转化。结合机械和计算的调查有可能提供深入了解关键的非共价相互作用和催化剂的功能所需的对映体诱导。更广泛的科学影响包括药物发现和新治疗技术开发的应用。拟议的项目将作为一个教学平台，为来自代表性不足的少数群体的高中生，本科生和研究生提供指导。PI将担任部门和校园范围内的多样性举措的委员会成员。PI将参加旨在建立一个包容性社区和使教授多样化的专业网络和会议机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Andre Sanchez is awarded an NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (NSF MPS-Ascend) to conduct a program of research and activities related to broaden participation by groups underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). This fellowship to Dr. Sanchez supports the research project entitled “MPS-Ascend: Development of Catalytic, Asymmetric Ritter-Type Reactions of Racemic Precursors” under the mentorship of a sponsoring scientist. The host institution for the fellowship is Harvard University, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Eric Jacobsen. The proposal aims at the development of catalytic, asymmetric Ritter-type reactions from readily available racemic precursors using hydrogen-bond donor (HBD) catalysis to provide access to value-added chiral materials for small molecule-based drug discovery. The research plan outlines specific tactics that will enable the desired transformations through identification of a suitable HBD catalyst framework, capitalizing on a synergistic network of non-covalent interactions. A combination of mechanistic and computational investigations has the potential to provide insight into the critical non-covalent interactions and catalyst features necessary for enantioinduction. Scientific broader impacts include applications to drug discovery and development of new therapeutic technologies.The proposed project will serve as a teaching platform for the mentoring of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students from underrepresented minority groups. The PI will serve as a committee member on departmental and campus-wide diversity initiatives. The PI will participate in professional networking and conference opportunities aimed at building an inclusive community and diversifying the professoriate.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.