Three UvA researchers receive prestigious ERC Consolidator Grants
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded Consolidator Grants to UvA researchers Timothy Noël, Tommy Tse and Louis Vermeulen. The prestigious grants are awarded to individual researchers and amount to around 2 million euros per project. Consolidator Grants are intended for researchers who obtained their PhDs 7 to 12 years ago. The grants enable the researchers to consolidate their position as independent researchers. Prof. Timothy Noël (Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences): FlowHAT: Site-selective C(sp3)-H functionalization with gaseous reagents using Hydrogen Atom Transfer photocatalysis in flow An essential part of synthetic organic chemistry is the conversion of raw materials into highly complex molecules. While traditionally this has been achieved through conversion of functional groups, Nature has developed strategies to deliberately functionalize C'H bonds in organic molecules. Mimicking Nature's machinery, chemists have developed a diverse set of powerful C'H bond functionalization strategies. However, the selective functionalization of C'H bonds such as present in saturated alkanes is still very challenging and remains a "dream reaction" for organic chemists. Timothy Noël will pursue a novel approach that combines both chemical and technological tools and is based on a continuous-flow photocatalytic process of Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT) making use of a cheap and abundant catalyst. Dr Tommy Tse (Media Studies Department):
