Postdoctoral Fellowship: MPS-Ascend: Ring-opening of Cyclic Ethers Facilitated by Main-group Lewis Acids.

Nathanael Hunter被授予NSF数学和物理科学提升博士后研究奖学金(NSF MPS-Ascend)，以开展一项与扩大STEM中代表性不足群体的参与相关的研究和活动。亨特博士的这笔奖学金支持在一位赞助科学家的指导下进行的题为“MPS-Ascend：主基Lewis酸促进的环醚的开环”的研究项目。该奖学金的主办机构是德克萨斯农工大学，赞助科学家是弗朗索瓦·加巴伊博士。这项建议旨在开发有机锑(V)和有机铋(III)化合物作为Lewis酸可调催化剂，以促进氧杂环己烷的开环反应，包括与二氧化碳的共聚。这些催化剂将导致更好的选择性和新的化学转化的发展。有机铋催化剂，通过一个配位的膦供体，将允许在铋中心引入手性配体，这将产生手性氧杂环烷开环产物。铋对环境的低危害也将推动这一化学朝着更可持续的方向发展。PI打算参与外展活动，以进一步增加所有学习化学的人的多样性、公平性和包容性。PI计划继续指导德克萨斯农工大学的本科生和早期研究生，具体目标是让更多来自代表性不足群体的学生参与化学研究生水平的研究。国际化学协会计划参加几个外展项目，对中小学生进行化学教育，以进一步吸引未来化学家的兴趣。PI还计划在德克萨斯农工大学开发一个新的实践教育项目，为大布拉索斯县地区的高中生未来在化学科学领域的职业生涯做好准备。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Nathanael Hunter 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. This fellowship to Dr. Hunter supports the research project entitled “MPS-Ascend: Ring-opening of Cyclic Ethers Facilitated by Main-group Lewis Acids” under the mentorship of a sponsoring scientist. The host institution for the fellowship is Texas A&M University, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. François Gabbaï. This proposal intends to develop organoantimony (V) and organo-bismuth (III) compounds as Lewis acid tunable catalysts to facilitate the ring opening of oxetane including copolymerization with carbon dioxide. These catalysts will lead to better selectivity and to the development of new chemical transformations. The organo-bismuth catalysts, through a coordinating phosphine donor, will allow the introduction of a chiral ligand to the bismuth center, which will generate chiral oxetane ring-opening products. The low environmental hazards associated with bismuth will also push this chemistry in a more sustainable direction.The PI intends to participate in outreach activities to further increase the diversity, equity and inclusion all people studying chemistry. The PI plans to continue mentoring undergraduate and early graduate students at Texas A&M University, with a specific goal to increase the participation of students from underrepresented groups in graduate-level research in chemistry. The PI plans to join several outreach programs to educate primary and secondary school students about chemistry at a young age, to further engage the interest of future chemists. The PI also plans to develop a new hands-on educational program at Texas A&M University to prepare high school students in the greater Brazos County area for future careers in the chemical sciences.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.