We are excited to have a new TSRI SURF student Omar joining us this summer. Omar is working under guidance of Mingyu (G2) and is already in the hood trying out some new methods for making non-conjugated acids. Omar is looking forward to learning about catalysis and trying out some new Chinese restaurants in San Diego.
In order to celebrate the graduation of two outstanding undergraduate students, May and Vincent, we held our second group scavenger hunt, with each team tasked with finding locations and items around the TSRI campus and taking photos in entertaining poses. After completing the scavenger hunt, we had a quick round of dodgeball, before capping the day off with games and drinks at Brewskis Bar & Arcade. Thanks to May for organizing a great day, and congratulations to May and Vincent on all of their accomplishments! For a slideshow of the event, click below. For photos of the setup and party see further below or check out #EngleHunt on twitter.
Visiting graduate student Xin joins the lab this week. She is doing her graduate studies in medicinal chemistry and will be doing a year long visit in the Engle Lab. Xin is looking forward to enjoying the southern California summer learning more about catalysis.
Huge congratulations to the Class of 2018! The Engle lab is incredibly proud of our recent college and high school graduates, who are moving on to incredible graduate and undergraduate programs around the world!
Undergrads/Visiting Undergrads
Vincent van der Puyl (UCSD): The Scripps Research Institute (Ph.D. in Chemistry)
Yiyang (Elaine) Xiao (Nankai U): Peking U (Ph.D. in Chemistry)
Pusu Yang (Nankai U): SIOC (Ph.D. in Chemistry)
Tian (May) Zeng (UCSD): Caltech (Ph.D. in Chemistry)
High School Student
Forrest Graham (Valhalla High School): Caltech
Tim Gallagher joins The Engle Lab (mentor Van) for as summer research intern where he hopes to hone in his organometallics knowledge and enjoy the beautiful beaches of southern California. Tim is originally from northern Vermont where he enjoys skiing and snowboarding and will be a 4th year student at Claremont Mckenna College this fall (Wenzel Lab).
Congrats to super second-year grad student Van Tran, who passed her qual exam with flying colors! Van is the first member of the second class of grad students in the Engle lab to advance to candidacy. Way to go, Van!
Congrats to Joe, Van, and Vincent for publication of their invited review on conjunctive cross-coupling which appears online today in Aldrichimica Acta! The review focuses on advances in the use of carbon–carbon π-bonds as conjuctive reagents, or synthetic lynchpins, to merge two conventional reactive fragments under transition metal catalysis. For a link to the article, click here. Way to go team!
Our paper describing directed 1,2-dialkylation of alkenyl carbonyl compounds via nickel catalysis is now online in Chem. Sci. This work represents the first method for controlled introduction of differentiated alkyl groups onto an non-conjugated alkene and offers exciting potential for generating densely functionalized products with high-sp3 content in a rapid manner. Congrats to the authors, Joe, Vincent, Van, and Mingyu! Special shout out to undergraduate co-author and TSRI-SURF program alum Vincent. Click here for a link to the paper. A pre-print of this work was published on ChemRxiv back in January (click here).
Our new postdoc Yang Gao joins us from the Goldman Lab in Rutgers. We’re excited to have another great organometallic chemist join the group and teach us more about Iridium chemistry!
New undergrad Ryan joins us from UCSD for his first position in a research lab. Ryan has already started working in the hood and is running columns under mentorship of Jose. Welcome to the lab Ryan!
Molecular Complexity through Catalysis 