ProfessorDr. Richard A. Lerner Endowed ChairDepartment of Chemistry
Email Research Focus
In the 20th century the art and science of complex natural product total synthesis defined the frontiers of organic chemistry. Throughout these decades fundamental insights into reactivity and selectivity principles were achieved by these numerous synthetic endeors. The capability and power of organic synthesis has thus experienced a dramatic increase putting today's synthetic chemists in the position to construct molecules of more or less any degree of structural complexity. The perception defining 'art' in organic synthesis has therefore changed with time and in our opinion is described best by Hendrickson when he addressed the 'ideal synthesis' as one which: 'creates a complex molecule' in a sequence of only construction reactions involving no intermediary refunctionalizations, and leading directly to the target, not only its skeleton but also its correctly placed functionality' (Hendrickson, J.B. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1975, 97, 5784).This prescient statement truly encompasses and epitomizes the 'economies' of synthesis design many years before ideas of atom, step, and redox-economy were formally galvanized. Now, in 2010, the field has reached an awe-inspiring level, with many proclaiming that synthesis has matured. But before one declares the science of synthesis an endeor in engineering, one only needs to reflect on the inspiring ease with which Nature crafts large quantities of her most complex molecules (e.g. vancomycin and taxol). Total synthesis in this century must therefore be keenly aware of this ultimate challenge to be able to provide large quantities of complex natural products with a minimum amount of labor and material expenses. The natural consequence of pursuing such a goal is to embrace the Hendrickson dictum (vide supra). Pursuing synthesis in such a way forces the practitioner into the role of an inventor. It naturally also leads to explorations into biology since multiple collaborations can be forged with ample materials.
Education B.S. (Chemistry), New York University, 1997Ph.D. (Chemistry), The Scripps Research Institute, 2001 Professional Experience 2006-2008 Associate Professor (with tenure), Chemistry, Scripps Research2003-2006 Assistant Professor, Chemistry, Scripps Research2001-2003 NIH Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. E. J. Corey, Harvard University Awards & Professional Activities2021聽Bristol Chemical Synthesis Syngenta Award,聽Syngenta
2020聽Janssen Prize for Creativity
2019聽Inhoffen Medal,聽Janssen
2017聽Manchot Research Professorship,聽Technical University of Munich聽
2017聽The National Academy of Sciences
2017聽Emanuel Merck Lectureship
2016聽Blatnik National Laureate in Chemistry, New York Academy of Sciences
2016聽ACS Elias J. Corey Award
2015聽American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2015聽College of Arts and Science Alumni Distinguished Service Award
2015聽Reagent of the Year Award聽
2014聽Mukaiyama Award
2013聽MacArthur Fellowship, MacArthur Foundation
2013聽Royal Society of Chemistry Synthetic Organic Chemistry Award
2012聽ACS San Diego Section Distinguished Scientist Award
2011聽ISHC Katritzky Heterocyclic Chemistry Award
2010聽Thieme-IUPAC Prize in Synthetic Organic Chemistry
2010聽ACS Award in Pure Chemistry
2009聽Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in the Physical Sciences
2007聽National Fresenius Award, ACS
2007聽Hirata Gold Medal
2006聽Pfizer Award for Creativity in Organic Synthesis
2006聽Beckman Foundation Fellow
2007聽Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow
2006聽BMS Unrestricted "Freedom to Discover" Grant, Bristol-Myers Squibb
2006聽NSF CAREER Award, National Science Foundation
2005聽Eli Lilly Young Investigator Award
2005聽AstraZeneca Excellence in Chemistry Award
2005聽DuPont Young Professor Award
2005聽Roche Excellence in Chemistry Award
2005聽Amgen Young Investigator Award
2005聽Searle Scholar Award
2005聽GlaxoSmithKline Chemistry Scholar Award
Selected PublicationsBruckl, T.; Baxter, R. D.; Ishihara, Yoshihiro; Baran, Phil S. Innate and guided C-H functionalization logic. Accounts of Chemical Research 2012, 45, 826-839.[View]
Mendoza, A.; Ishihara, Yoshihiro; Baran, Phil S. Scalable enantioselective total synthesis of taxanes. Nature Chemistry 2012, 4, 21-25.[View]
Su, S.; Rodriguez, Rodrigo A.; Baran, Phil S. Scalable, stereocontrolled total syntheses of (卤)-axinellamines A and B. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2011, 133, 13922-13925.[View]
Gaich, T.; Baran, Phil S. Aiming for the ideal synthesis. Journal of Organic Chemistry 2010, 75, 4657-4673.[View]
Newhouse, Timothy R.; Lewis, C. A.; Eastman, K. J.; Baran, Phil S. Scalable total syntheses of N-linked tryptamine dimers by direct indole-aniline coupling: Psychotrimine and kapakahines B and F. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2010, 132, 7119-7137.[View]
Burns, Noah Z.; Krylova, I. N.; Hannoush, R. N.; Baran, Phil S. Scalable total synthesis and biological evaluation of haouamine a and its atropisomer. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2009, 131, 9172-9173.[View]