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Our research areas include the total synthesis of various biologically active natural products and the discovery and development of new synthetic methods, with particular interest in asymmetric reactions.
There is a need for new and more efficient methods of synthesis, particularly ones that exhibit high levels of stereocontrol. Asymmetric aldol methodology, where enolate geometry controls the absolute stereochemistry in C-C bond formation with aldehydes, is of particular interest. These new methods are being applied to the synthesis of a wide variety of important natural products.
Current targets include those illustrated below. We aim to provide short and flexible synthetic routes for the construction of these complex polyoxygenated structures and their analogues, which show significant biological activity but have low natural abundance.