The Division of Organic Chemistry’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program that was started in 2009 The program has provided support for undergraduates to carry out research in organic chemistry at their respective colleges/universities in the summer between their junior and senior year. The list of Previous DOC SURF Awardees, their mentors, research projects, and generous sponsors is available below.
School: Lake Superior State University
Mentor: Adam Mosey
Research: Multicomponent One-Pot Tandem Assembly of Pyrrolodihydroquinazolines
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Harvard University
Mentor: Eric Jacobsen
Research: Mechanistic Analysis of Catalytic Matteson Homologation
Sponsor: Pfizer/BMS
School: Brooklyn College
Mentor: Ryan Murelli
Research: Studies on the Mechanism of Proximity-Based Tropolone Photo-Affinity Labeling
Sponsor: Merck
School: University of Redlands
Mentor: Michael Ferracane
Research: Synthesis & Study of Opioid Cyclic Tetrapeptides
Sponsor: Genentech
School: Stony Brook University
Mentor: Ming-Yu Ngai
Research: Chiral Catalysts for Highly Selective C2-Functionalization of Carbohydrates
Sponsor: Biohaven
School: University of Michigan
Mentor: John Wolfe
Research: Palladium-Catalyzed Alkene Difunctionalization Reactions of Indene Nucleophiles
Sponsor: Lilly
School: Smith College
Mentor: Maren Buck
Research: Combinatorial Synthesis of a Library of Poly(pentafluorophenylacrylate)-Based Protein-Polymer Conjugates
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Western Washington University
Mentor: James Vyvyan
Research: Synthesis of Rupestine H
Sponsor: BMS
School: California State University, Fresno
Mentor: Hubert Muchalski
Research: Metal-Catalyzed Preparation Fluorine-Tagged Peroxyesters of 4-Aryl-3-Butenoic Acids
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Vanderbilt University
Mentor: Daria Kim
Research: Site Selective O-Functionalization of Highly Oxidized Molecules
Sponsor: BioPharmaWorks
School: Sam Houston State University
Mentor: Meagan Hinze
Research: Synthesis of Substrates and Standards to Investigate Biocatalytic Chiral Resolutions via Oxidation
Sponsor: Genentech
School: NC State University
Mentor: Joshua Pierce
Research: Total Synthesis of Cudraflavone C and Derivatives as Novel Antibacterial Drug Candidates
Sponsor: Takeda
School: Harvard University
Mentor: Stuart Schreiber
Research: Discovery of Molecular Glues via Chemical Inducers of Proximity DNA-Encoded Libraries
Sponsor: GSK
School: Illinois State University
Mentor: Andy Mitchell
Research: Applications of [5+2] Cycloadditions Toward Cleavable Tethers
Sponsor: Pfizer/Janssen
School: Bryn Mawr College
Mentor: Bill Malachowski
Research: Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Cephanolide B via Birch-Heck sequence
Sponsor: GSK
School: Scripps College
Mentor: Anna Wenzel
Research: Silver-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts Reaction
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Southern Mississippi
Mentor: Matthew Donahue
Research: Investigation of N-Sulfonyliminium Ion Triggered aza-Prins Cyclizations for the Synthesis of Nitrogen Heterocycles
Sponsor: Merck
School: University of Michigan
Mentor: Corinna Schindler
Research: A Substrate Dependent Lewis Acidity Scale for Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis
Sponsor: Morphic/Snapdragon
School: College of Holy Cross
Mentor: Kevin Quinn
Research: Synthesis of the 2,6-trans-tetrahydropyran natural product diospongin B
Sponsor: Vertex
School: University of California Berkeley
Mentor: Thomas Maimone
Research: A Shapeshifting Strategy Toward the Synthesis of Rugulosone
Sponsor: Merck
School: Arizona State University
Mentor: Kyle Biegasiewicz
Research: Vanadium-Dependent Haloperoxidases for Selective Biocatalytic Halooxycyclization Reactions
Sponsor: Takeda
School: Kansas State University
Mentor: Socrates Munoz
Research: Copper-Catalyzed Difluoroacylation and C(sp3 )–H Fluorination Reactions
Sponsor: BioPharmaWorks
School: Yale University
Mentor: Timothy Newhouse
Research: A Neural Network to Predict Enantioselectivity for the Negishi Cross-Coupling of Tetra-substitued Biaryls
Sponsor: Lilly
School: University of Michigan
Mentor: David Sherman
Research: Isolation and Structural Diversification of Novel Metabolite for Further Insight into Rare Biocatalytic Cope Rearrangement and Synthesis of Indole Alkaloid Natural Products
Sponsor: BMS
School: Stonehill College
Mentor: Louis Liotta
Research: The Synthesis of the Pentahydroxylated Pyrrolidine Casuarine and Seven of its Stereoisomers from D-Glucopyranoside
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of San Diego
Mentor: Timothy Clark
Research: Oxidative Homocoupling of Borylated Aryl Phosphonates
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Vermont
Mentor: Matthias Brewer
Research: Achieving Enantioselective Control over a Conjugate Addition of Enoxy Silane and Indole Carbon Nucleophiles to Vinyl Diazoniums
Sponsor: Biohaven
School: Northeastern University
Mentor: Roman Manetsch
Research: Studies toward the Divergent Total Synthesis of Phlegmadines B and C via a Strategic 1,2 Carbonyl Transposition
Sponsor: BMS
School: Boston College
Mentor: Shih-Yuan Liu
Research: A Modular Approach to Furnish 1,2-Azaborines
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Colgate University
Mentor: Jacob Goldberg
Research: Synthesis of Chemical Probes for Detecting Zinc(II) Ions in the Synapse
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Southwestern University
Mentor: Michael Gesinski
Research: Gold(I)-Catalyzed Synthesis of Naphthoquinones
Sponsor: Takeda
School: University of Rochester
Mentor: Shauna Paradine
Research: Enantioselective Spirocyclization Reactions with Transition Metal Catalysts
Sponsor: BMS
School: University of Delaware
Mentor: Donald Watson
Research: Palladium-Catalyzed Synthesis of Anti Trisubstituted Vinylsilanes
Sponsor: Fulcrum
School: Smith College
Mentor: Kevin Shea
Research: Synthesis of Strained Heteroatom-containing Cyclic Alkynes Using an Intramolecular Nicholas Reaction
Sponsor: Vertex
School: Montclair State University
Mentor: Amrita Sarkar
Research: A Novel Synthesis Approach for Silk-Inspired ABA & (AB)n Polymer
Sponsor: BMS
School: Occidental College
Mentor: Raul Navarro
Research: Development of a Decarboxylative Allylation of Isobenzofuranones
Sponsor: Biohaven Pharmaceuticals
School: Cornell University
Mentor: Song Lin
Research: Enantioselective Synthesis of Substituted Pyrrolidines via Titanium Radical Relay Catalysis
Sponsor: Merck
School: The University of Chicago
Mentor: Scott Snyder
Research: Development of Asymmetric Iso-Pictet–Spengler Reactions of Ketonitrones
Sponsor: Merck
School: Point Loma Nazarene University
Mentor: Katherine Maloney
Research: Isolating and Elucidating the Structure of Defensive Natural Products from Sinularia Soft Corals
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Old Dominion University
Mentor: Kyle Lambert
Research: New Methods Employing Borrowing Hydrogen Catalysis to Synthesize Biologically Important Nitrogen Heterocycles
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Indiana University
Mentor: Kevin Brown
Research: Diastereoselective and Enantioselective [2 + 2] Cycloadditions for Cyclobutane Synthesis
Sponsor: Lilly
School: Elizabethtown College
Mentor: James MacKay
Research: Synthesis of Modified Amide-based Extended Heterocyclic Nucleobases for A-U Base Pair Recognition in Double Stranded RNA
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Boise State University
Mentor: Don Warner
Research: Determining the mechanism of DNA ICL formation by Aziridinomitosenes
Sponsor: GSK
School: University of Florida
Mentor: Alex Grenning
Research: Ring Rearrangement Metathesis of Substituted Bicyclic Tetraenes to Yield Isoryanodane Cores
Sponsor: Biogen & Janssen
School: Hendrix College
Mentor: Heidi Dahlmann
Research: Optimization of Organocatalyzed Carbonyl- Olefin Metathesis Reactions
Sponsor: Allergan & Morphic
School: Bucknell University
Mentor: Hasan Arslan
Research: Synthesis of an Anthracene-Based Betaine Dye and a Study of its Electrochemical and Photophysical Properties
Sponsor: Wuxi AppTec
School: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mentor: Martin Burke
Research: Carbenoid-Boronate Building Blocks Enable Iterative Cross Coupling
Sponsor: Vertex
School: Univ. California, Irvine
Mentor: Vy Dong
Research: Rh-catalyzed Asymmetric Allylation of Nitro-carbonyls
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: San Diego State University
Mentor: Byron W. Purse
Research: Synthesis and Photophysics of the DEA-tCc Fluorescent Nucleoside Analogue
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Delaware
Mentor: Mary P. Watson
Research: A New Use for the Strecker Reaction as a Pathway to Pyridinium Chemistry
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Western Washington University
Mentor: James R. Vyvyan
Research: Total Synthesis of Rupestines L and M
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: New York University
Mentor: Tianning Diao
Research: Photocatalytic Tryptophan Modification in Peptides and Proteins in Aqueous Media
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of California, Santa Barbara
Mentor: Bruce Lipshutz
Research: New Rules for Asymmetric Reactions in Aqueous Micellar Media
Sponsor: Bristol-Myers Squibb
School: Univ. of California, Davis
Mentor: Annaliese Franz
Research: Synthesis of Chiral-at-Silicon 1,3-Disiloxanediols via Small Molecule Directed Silylation
Sponsor: GlaxoSmithKline
School: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Mentor: David B Berkowitz
Research: Design and Synthesis of a New Class of Potential Human Serine Racemase Inhibitors
Sponsor: Takeda
School: Washington University in St. Louis
Mentor: Jonathan Barnes
Research: Studying the Effects of Sequence Control in Photodynamic Synthetic Polymers
Sponsor: Lilly
School: North Carolina State University
Mentor: Joshua G. Pierce
Research: Synthesis of Synoxazolidinone C as a Novel Antibiotic Lead
Sponsor: Merck
School: Univ. of California, Los Angeles
Mentor: K. N. Houk
Research: Vinyl Cations: A Computational and Experimental Investigation
Sponsor: Merck
School: Boston College
Mentor: James Morken
Research: Z-Alkenyl Boronates by a Boron-Petersen Reaction
Sponsor: Bristol-Myers Squibb
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Connecticut
Mentor: Mark Peczuh
Research: Nature Inspired Modular Synthesis of Hernandezine
Sponsor: Celgene
School: Oklahoma State University
Mentor: Jimmie Weaver
Research: Taming Two (photocatalytic) Transformations; Reductive Alkenylation and Isomerization of 2-Bromoazoles
Sponsor: Vertex
School: University of Southern Mississippi
Mentor: Matthew G. Donahue
Research: Enantioselective Synthesis of Piperidine Derivatives Through an Enyne Metathesis
Sponsor: Takeda
School: Ohio State University
Mentor: T. V. (Babu) RajanBabu
Research: Hemilabile Ligands for Improved Selectivity in Cobalt Catalyzed Reactions of Alkenes
Sponsor: Lilly
School: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mentor: Scott Denmark
Research: A Strategy for the Cross-Coupling of Heterocycles
Sponsor: Pfizer & Biogen
School: Bryn Mawr College
Mentor: Bill Malachowski
Research: Development of Complex Chiral Carbazole Analogs via the Enantioselective Birch-Curtius-Heck Reaction Sequence
Sponsor: Merck & Janssen
School: Michigan State University
Mentor: Robert E. Maleczka, Jr.
Research: Isolation of Asymmetrical Double-Decker Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes
School: California State University San Marcos
Mentor: Robert Iafe
Research: Gold(I)-Catalyzed Friedel-Crafts-type reaction to afford substituted benzimidazoles
Sponsor: Pfizer
Sponsor: WuXi AppTec
School: Macalester College
Mentor: Dennis D. Cao
Research: Synthesis and Characterization of Angled Benzene Diimides as Building Blocks for Linear Azaacenes
Sponsor: Merck
School: University of California, Berkeley
Mentor: Thomas Maimone
Research: Total Synthesis of 6-epi ophiobolin A
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Boise State University
Mentor: Don Warner
Research: Synthesis of Small Molecules to Inhibit a Pro-Metastatic Cytokine
Sponsor: Pfizer & Mirati
School: University of Scranton
Mentor: Arthur Catino
Research: Enantioselective Synthesis of Tetraarylmethanes using Chiral Brønsted Acids
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Saint Joseph’s University
Mentor: Mark Forman
Research Project: Electroreduction: A Greener Alternative to the Synthesis of the Pyramidalized Alkene Pentacyclo[4.3.0.0 2,4 .0 3,8 .0 5,7 ]non-4-ene
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Yale University
Mentor: Jonathan Ellman
Research Project: Potent and Selective Isoquinuclidine Ligands to G-Protein Coupled Receptors
Sponsor: Merck
School: University of Michigan
Mentor: Corinna Schindler
Research Project: Application of catalytic carbonyl olefin metathesis reactions to the asymmetric synthesis of sesquiterpene natural products
School: Illinois State University Mentor: Andy Mitchell
Research Project: Feist-Bénary Furan Synthesis Toward the Total Synthesis of Toxicodenane A
Sponsors: Pfizer and Biogen
Sponsor: Amgen
School: Occidental College
Mentor: Roul Navarro
Research Project: Total Synthesis of Swerilactone A via a Novel Electrophilic Dearomatization Reaction
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Delaware
Mentor: Donald Watson
Research Project: Development of a Nickel-Catalyzed Aza-Heck Cyclization
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Mentor: Jefferson Chan
Research Project: Reversible Probe for the Detection of Nitric Oxide in vivo Using Photoacoustic Imaging
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Stony Brook University
Mentor: Ming-Yu Ngai
Research Project: Chiral Catalysts for Asymmetric Visible-Light Photocatalytic Reactions
Sponsor: Merck
School: Case Western Reserve University
Mentor: Drew Adams
Research Project: Developing Selective Covalent Inhibitors through the Synthesis of Novel Sulfonyl-Fluoride Probes
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Illinois
Mentor: Paul Hergenrother
Research Project: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Compound Library Derived from Lycorine
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: North Carolina State University
Mentor: Joshua Pierce
Research Project: Utility of the 3-Hydroxy-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-one Scaffold in the Synthesis of alpha-Quaternary Centers Containing Beta-Homo Prolines and Beta-Lactams
Sponsor: Merck
School: Occidental College
Mentor: Jeffrey Cannon
Research Project: Synthesis of Furanolactone Motifs through a Photocatalyzed Ketyl Radical Cyclization
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Christopher Newport University
Mentor: Jeffrey Carney
Research Project: Towards the Total Synthesis of Torreyunlignans A-D
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Wisconsin-Madison
Mentor: Jennifer Schomaker
Research Project: Investigating Analogs of Eflornithine, an Irreversible Inhibitor of Ornithine Decarboxylase
Sponsor: Merck
School: Boston College
Mentor: James Morken
Research Project: Stereoselective Synthesis of Cyclopropyl- and Cyclobutylboronic Esters via Diastereoselective alpha-Boryl-Carbanion Cyclizations
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Cornell University
Mentor: Song Lin
Research Project: Recycling CO2 for Amino Acid Synthesis
Sponsor: Merck
School: Yale
Mentor: Timothy Newhouse
Research Project: Nickel-Catalyzed Intramolecular alpha-Vinylation for the Synthesis of Bicyclic Systems
Sponsor: Merck
School: Washington University in St. Louis
Mentor: Vladimir Birman
Research Project: Amidine-Based Catalysts with Enhanced Nucleophilicity: Synthesis, Study, and Applications
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Harvard University
Mentor: Eric Jacobsen
Research Project: Development of an Iron Catalyst for Carbon-Hydrogen Oxidation
Sponsor: Merck
School: Towson University
Mentor: Keith Reber
Research Project: Total Synthesis of Cladosin C
Sponsor: Merck School: Cornell University
Mentor: Yimon Aye
Research Project: Synthesis of a Fluorescent Redox-Targeting Toolset for Use in Multicellular Organisms
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Kentucky
Mentor: Susan Odom
Research Project: Steric Manipulation of Electrochemical Potentials in Conjugated Organic Molecules
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Niagara University
Mentor: Luis Sanchez
Research Project: Developing a Synthetic Route to Caramboxin, a Rare Bioactive Non-peptidic Amino Acid
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Macalester College
Mentor: Leah Witus
Research Project: Development of a Colorimetric Assay for the Screening of Peptide Catalysts
Sponsor: Merck
School: University of Utah
Mentor: Jon Rainier
Research Project: The Derivatization of an Aggregate-Busing Quinone-Amino Acid Conjugate
Sponsor: Merck
School: Youngstown State University
Mentor: Douglas Genna
Research Project: Transition Metal-Mediated C-CO 2 Coupling Reactions for the Synthesis of Industrial Carbon Feedstocks
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Oklahoma
Mentor: Indrajeet Sharma
Research Project: Synthetic Access to the Psurotin Core via a Diazo-OH Insertion/Conia-Ene Cascade
Sponsor: Merck
School: Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Mentor: Justin Miller
Research Project: Solid-Phase Total Synthesis of Cysteine-Containing, Depsipeptidic Natural Products and Analogs
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of San Diego
Mentor: Timothy Clark
Research Project: Stereoselective Diboration/Homologation Sequence of Aldehydes using Lithiated Epoxides
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Bucknell University
Mentor: Michael Krout
Research Project: Development of Copper Mediated Conjugate Addition Reactions Towards Complex Molecule Synthesis
Sponsor: Merck
School: Smith College
Mentor: Kevin Shea
Research Project: Synthesis and Characterization of Derivatives of Neurole nin A and B
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Nevada, Reno
Mentor: Wesley A. Chalifoux
Research Project: Efficient Synthesis of Bicyclo[4.4.0]decanes by Tandem Double Diels-Alder
Sponsor: Merck
School: University of Pennsylvania
Mentor: Gary A. Molander
Research Project: B-X Functionalization of Borazarobenzofurans and Bioisosteric Activity of Azaborines
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Illinois College/ Yale University
Mentors: Brent Chandler/Scott Miller
Research Project: Development of a Catalyst Controlled Enantioselective and Diastereoselective Rauhut-Currier Reaction
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Tufts University
Mentor: Clay Bennett
Research Project: Synthesis of the Pentasaccharide Fragment of Saquayamycin Z
Sponsor: Merck
School: Stoney Brook University
Mentor: Ming-Yu Ngai
Research Project: Trifluoromethoxylation of Heteroarenes
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Tennessee Technological University
Mentor: Jessie Carrick
Research Project: Investigation of the asymmetric induction of the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction with β-alkoxyaldehydes and Chiral chromium(III) catalysts
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of California Santa Barbara
Mentor: Armen Zakarian
Research Project: Synthesis of Imidazoline LOXL2 Analogs
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Harvard University
Mentor: Eric Jacobsen
Research Project: Small Molecule Hydrogen-Bond Catalysts for Asymmetric C–N Bond Formation
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Washington State University
Mentor: Philip Garner
Research Project: A β-Aspartyl Thioester Building Block for Convergent Glycosylative Ligation of Peptides
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Swarthmore
Mentor: Robert Paley
Research Project: Azaspirocycle Formation Directed by a Planer Chiral iron(O) Tricarbonyl diene complex
Sponsor: Cubist
School: University of Iowa
Mentor: Hien Nguyen
Research Project: Synthesis and affinity studies of mannose-derived glycopolymers for binding to antibody 2G12 which recognizes the gp120 epitope within the HIV envelope
Sponsor: Genentech/Roche
School: Boise State University
Mentor: Don Warner
Research Project: Toward a Convergent Synthesis of Aziridinomitosenes
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Williams College
Mentor: Thomas Smith
Research Project: Asymmetric Synthesis of Enigmazole A
Sponsor: The ACS Organic Division
School: Washington University
Mentor: Vladimir Birman
Research Project: An Efficient and Flexible Synthetic Route to Chiral Ligands
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Swarthmore College
Mentor: Liliya Yatsunyk
Research Project: Synthesis of Novel Polyamide Derivatives of Protoporphyrin-IX And Mesoporphyrin-IX As Potential G-Quadruplex Stabilizers
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Bryn Mawr College
Mentor: Bill Malachowski
Research Project: Synthesis of Bicyclic Rings with Quaternary Centers through Sequential Birch Reduction-Alkylation and Cycloisomerization
Sponsor: Merck
School: University of Pennsylvania
Mentor: Jeffrey Winkler
Research Project: The Design and Synthesis of Novel Chloroquine Derivatives to Block Autophagy in Cancer Cells
Sponsor: Cubist
School: St. Olaf College
Mentor: Dipannita Kalyani
Research Project: Nickel Catalyzed Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry
School: University of Houston
Mentor: Jeremy A. May
Research Project: Synthesis of Indoles from α-Arylketones and Amines using Copper (I)
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Utah
Mentor: Matthew S. Sigman
Research Project: Tandem Cross-Coupling using Heck Substrates and Selective β-hydride Elimination to Generate Vinyl Halides
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry
School: University of Chicago
Mentor: Hisashi Yamamoto
Research Project: TBOx-Catalyzed Nitroso Hetero-Diels-Alder Reactions
Sponsor: Cubist
School: Brown University
Mentor: Jason Sello
Research Project: Investigation of a Domino Reaction in the Target and Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of a Novel Antibacterial Agent
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Iowa
Mentor: Hien Nguyen
Research Project: Rhodium-Catalyzed Amination of Allylic Trichloroacetimidates and the Development of Antiretroviral Analogues
Sponsor: Roche
School: Barnard College
Mentor: Christian Rojas
Research Project: Using a Copper (II) Catalyst to Achieve Stereo-and Chemoselective Glucal 3-Carbamate Amidoglycoslation Reactions
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Delaware
Mentor: Mary P. Watson
Research Project: Enantioselective, Copper-Catalyzed Additions of Arylboronic Acids to Chromene Acetals
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry
School: University of Nevada, Reno
Mentor: Christopher S. Jeffrey
Research Project: Synthesis of Aldol Products through Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution of Aza-Oxyallyl Cation Intermediates
Sponsor: Merck
School: Princeton University
Mentor: Abigail Doyle
Research Project: Total Synthesis of Paecilospirone
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Harvard University
Mentor: Andrew G. Myers
Research Project: A New Synthetic Route to Substituted Tetrahydroisoquinolines
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry
School: University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
Mentor: Scott E. Denmark
Research Project: Asymmetric Chlorinations of Alkenes Using Chiral Quaternary Ammonium Polyhalide Salts
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Swarthmore College
Mentor: Robert Paley
Research Project: Diastereoselective Allyl Silane-Iminium Ion Cyclization Directed by a Planar Chiral Iron (0) Tricarbonyl Diene Complex
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry
School: University of Delaware
Mentor: Donald Watson
Research Project: Developing a catalyst for asymmetric alcohol alkylation
Sponsor: Novartis
School: Smith College
Mentor: Kevin Shea
Research Project: Scope of a tandem Diels-Alder/Pauson-Khand synthesis for tetracycles
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Trinity College
Mentor: Timothy Curran
Research Project: Coordination of a peptide B-turn mimetic to tungsten: possible applications for the study of B-sheets
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry
School: Columbia University
Mentor: Scott Snyder
Research Project: Total synthesis of Caraphenols B and C and related natural products
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Connecticut College
Mentor: Timo Ovaska
Research Project: Studies toward the total synthesis of Frondosin D
Sponsor: Roche
School: New York University
Mentor: James Canary
Research Project: Synthesis and study of redox- active chiroptical molecular switches
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry
School: Northwestern University
Mentor: Fraser Stoddart
Research Project: Multiple successive post synthetic modifications on metal- organic frameworks
Sponsor: Cubist
School: Brown University
Mentor: Amit Basu
Research Project: A chemical genetic analysis of galactose biochemistry in growing pollen tubes
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Rochester
Mentor: Robert Boeckman
Research Project: Studies toward the diversification Of Diels-Alder Reactions of cyclic isoimidium salts
Sponsor: Amgen
School: University of California, Irvine
Mentor: Kenneth Shea
Research Project: A concise total synthesis of (-)-Stenine
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry
School: Swarthmore College
Mentor: Robert Paley
Research Project: Diastereoselective synthesis of bis-spiroketals directed by planar chiral 2-sulfinyl diene iron(0) tricarbonyl complexes
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Eastern Michigan University
Mentor: Harriet Lindsay
Research Project: Determining the origins of stereocontrol in the Lewis acid-mediated aza-Cope rearrangement-Mannich cyclization of conformationally mobile iminium cations
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Mentor: Nan Zheng
Research Project: Photocatalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of bicyclic cyclopropylamines with olefins by a ruthenium (II) complex
Sponsor: Cephalon
School: University of Pennsylvania
Mentor: Amos B. Smith III
Research Project: Synthesis of HIV-1 entry inhibitors: region II/III analogs of NBD-556
Sponsor: Boehringer Ingelheim
School: Barnard College
Mentor: Christian Rojas
Research Project: A soluble iodosobenzene derivative for 2-amino sugar synthesis
Sponsor: Organic Division
School: University of South Florida
Mentor: Jon Antilla
Research Project: Enantioselective reduction of imines; A strategy for the construction of the Dragmacidin core and potential structural analogues
Sponsor: Organic Division
School: Kenyon College
Mentor: John Hofferberth
Research Project: Exploring the versatility of a novel route to the cyclopenta[c]pyridine substructure
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Harvard University
Mentor: EJ Corey
Research Project: C-H functionalization with metallosalen complexes
Sponsor: Organic Division
School: University of Arizona
Mentor: Indraneel Ghosh
Research Project: A synthetic bivalent approach for targeting protein kinases
Sponsor: Cubist
School: Williams College
Mentor: Thomas Smith
Research Project: Asymmetric synthesis of Jerangolid D
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Swarthmore College
Mentor: Robert Paley
Research Project: Planar chiral 2-sulfinyldiene iron( 0) tricarbonyl complexes as a platform for diastereo- selective synthesis of spiroketals
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Michigan
Mentor: Masato Koreeda
Research Project: Development of a novel chiral heterocyclic carbene to be used in ruthenium catalyzed olefin metathesis
Sponsor: Organic Division
School: Northwestern University
Mentor: Regan Thomson
Research Project: Synthesis and structure / functional studies of Streptorubin B
Sponsor: Roche
School: University of California, Santa Barbara
Mentor: Thomas Pettus
Research Project: Synthetic approach toward unsymmetrical napthoquinone natural products: B-rubromycin, christazarin, echinochrome A and echinamines B
Sponsor: Novartis
School: Columbia University
Mentor: Scott Snyder
Research Project: The total synthesis of Heimiol A, a Resveratrol-based natural product
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Grinnell College
Mentor: Stephen Sieck
Research Project: Investigation of N-acyl nitrones and their application in isoxazolidine synthesis
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Utah
Mentor: Matthew Sigman
Research Project: Three dimensional mathematical modeling of modular pyridine ligands for the enantioselective alkylation of ketones
Sponsor: Organic Division
School: North Dakota State University
Mentor: Gregory Cook
Research Project: Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of chiral allylboronates
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: The University of Texas at Austin
Mentor: Stephen Martin
Research Project: Synthesis of a diverse Protoberberine- based small molecule library for biological screening
Sponsor: Organic Division
School: Union College
Mentor: James Adrian
Research Project: Developing methods for preparing and testing libraries of pyrrolidine-triazoles: a new class of organocatalysts
Sponsor: Symyx Technologies
School: Stanford University (Montana State University)
Mentor: Barry Trost
Research Project: Cationic palladium (II) directed stereoselective β-glycosylations
Sponsor: American Chemical Society
School: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Mentor: David Berkowitz
Research Project: Chemoenzymatic entry into dihydrocinnamayte building blocks and their synthetic elaboration: control of absolute and relative stereochemistry
Sponsor: Organic Division
School: Harvey Mudd College
Mentor: David Vosburg
Research Project: Biomimetic synthesis of the Endiandric Acids
Sponsor: Sepracor
School: Smith College
Mentor: Kevin Shea
Research Project: Scope and limitations of cationic Diels-Alder dienophiles stabilized by cobalt-complexed alkynes
Sponsor: Organic Division
School: Swarthmore College
Mentor: Robert Paley
Research Project: Diastereoselective synthesis of spiroketals using planar chiral iron(0) tricarbonyl complexes
Sponsor: Organic Division
School: Xavier University
Mentor: Richard Mullins
Research Project: Asymmetric conjugate addition for synthesis of pilocarpine and related compounds
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of San Diego
Mentor: Debbie Tahmassebi
Research Project: Synthesis and structural studies of a novel nucleoside analogue
Sponsor: Cubist Pharmaceuticals
School: Harvard University
Mentor: Tobias Ritter
Research Project: Development of a reaction discovery methodology employing mass spectrometry
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Vermont
Mentor: Paul Krapcho
Research Project: A potential therapy for neurologic disorders via inhibition of the endogenous neurotoxin-like protein, “Lynx”
Sponsor: Wyeth
School: University of Pennsylvania
Mentor: Gary Molander
Research Project: Deprotection of potassium trifluoroborates to the corresponding boronic acids
Sponsor: American Chemical Society
School: Western Washington University
Mentor: Timothy Clark
Research Project: Copper-catalyzed diboration of ketones; facile synthesis of tertiary α-hydroxy boronate esters
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Brown University
Mentor: Christopher Seto
Research Project: Unlocking glycosidase using an assay of synthetic fluorescent substrates
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of California, Irvine
Mentor: Alan Heyduk
Research Project: Developing tantalum (V)-imido complexes with redox-active ligands for catalytic amination of C-H bonds and aziridination of olefins
Sponsor: Organic Division
School: Rutgers University
Mentor: Ki-Bum Lee
Research Project: Multivalent nanoparticles as potent epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)
Sponsor: Novartis
School: Brown University
Mentor: Amit Basu
Research Project: Click chemistry to visualize the carbohydrates behind the growth of pollen tubes
To provide funding for Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships for outstanding undergraduate organic chemistry students attending colleges and universities in the United States.
These competitive fellowships ($6,000) are awarded on the merits of students’ research proposals, academic records, faculty recommendations and their passion for laboratory science. SURF fellowships will provide support for undergraduates in organic chemistry to carry out research at their respective colleges/universities in the summer between their junior and senior year. In addition, the program will provide financial support to enable recipients to visit an industrial campus in the fall for a dinner, award session, scientific talks, a tour of the campus and a poster session, where the results of the summer research investigations would be presented. Information on the program and application forms are available below.
The program was established in 2009. The complete list of Previous DOC SURF Awardees is available
Donations from companies and individuals for the Organic Division’s SURF Program is strongly encouraged. Please contact Karen Draths and Katelyn Billings make an inquiry on how to support this rewarding program.
Racism, bias and hate have no place in the DOC, the ACS, in science, or anywhere. The DOC has Adopted an Anti-Harassment Policy.
Fellowship recipients will be selected by an Advisory Committee using the following criteria:
2024 Sponsors:
Nominations from women and minorities who are typically under-represented in chemistry are especially encouraged.
The faculty mentor (who must be a member of the Organic Division) must submit the completed SURF Application and the requested documents through the online application form as a single PDF file consisting of the following items in the following order:
Student nominees should be U.S. citizens or permanent resident visa holders at the time of application. Applications from minorities are especially encouraged. This program targets current Juniors and they will be given preference. While two nominations are allowed per department, preference will be given to spreading awards out across different schools. Student may not hold a DOC Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship concomitantly with a similar fellowship from another source. The student nominees are required to be members of the ACS and the Organic Division (their ACS number will be requested). Information on becoming a member of the Division can be found here. Please be sure the nominated students do not have fall travel/study commitments (i.e. study abroad) that conflict with the poster session, scheduled for September/October.
Applications are to be submitted by the Faculty Mentor who must be an Organic Division Member as a single PDF file (named using the format: StudentNominee’sLast Name_First Name-SURF.pdf i.e. Smith_Jane-SURF.pdf) through this online form SURF
Application Deadline is Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
Applications submitted late, via mechanisms other than the online form, or out of order (as described above) will be disqualified.
Announcement of the awards is typically made in March.
Questions regarding the program should be directed to Karen Draths and Katelyn Billings
School: University of Rochester (NY)
Mentor: Rose Kennedy
Research: Visible-Light-Mediated, Nickel-Catalyzed Decarbonylative Etherification of Esters
Sponsor: Biohaven
School: University of Rochester (NY)
Mentor: Benjamin Partridge
Research: Bifacial Nucleobases for Specific DNA Mismatch Recognition
Sponsor: Biopharmaworks
School: Ouachita Baptist University (AR)
Mentor: Sharon Hamilton
Research: Covalent Bonding of Amoxicillin to Chitosan-Based Hydrogels
Sponsor: WuXi Biologics
School: Rowan University
Mentor: Gustavo Moura-Letts
Research: A Roller-Coaster Ride with Cascade Reactions
Sponsor: GSK
School: Northeastern University
Mentor: Steven Lopez
Research: Multiconfigurational photodynamic simulations for mechanistic insights into the photochemical 4𝜋- electrocyclization of tropone
Sponsor: BMS
School: Northwestern University
Mentor: Christian Malapit
Research: Selective Electrochemical Aromatic C–H Amination via Anodic Generation of Nitrogen-Centered Radical
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: University of Michigan
Mentor: Corey Stephenson
Research: Nitrogen-centered radical reactivity of acyl sulfinamides
Sponsor: Genentech
School: Hamilton University
Mentor: Max Majireck
Research: Highly Productive Assembly of a Disulfide Bond Peptide Macrocyclization Using Sound
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Macalester College
Mentor: Dennis Cao
Research: Rapid Construction of Electron-Deficient Aromatics by Cycloadditions of 3-Arylmaleimide with Maleimides
Sponsor: BMS
School: Stony Brook University
Mentor: Jeffrey Lipshultz
Research: Titanium Photocatalysis as an Enabling Tool for Molecular Functionalization
Sponsor: Merck
School: George Washington University
Mentor: Cynthia Dowd
Research: Characterization of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis PPCS Binding Pocket via P-Pan- CMP Analogs
Sponsor: GSK
School: Brigham Young University
Mentor: Steven Castle
Research: Novel Iminyl Radical Microwave-Promoted Cyclization of O-Aryl Aldoximes
Sponsor: Genentech
School: William & Mary
Mentor: Jonathan Scheerer
Research: Synthesis of Xylanigripones A and B from 1,4 Oxazinone Intermediates
Sponsor: Pfizer
School: Columbus State University
Mentor: Kerri Taylor
Research: Synthesis and biological activity of N,N’-bis-substituted-triazolium salts against the cell proliferation and cell viability of NCI-H1299 carcinoma and WI-38 cells
Sponsor: Lilly
School: Harvard Medical School
Mentor: Amit Choudhary
Research: Linker Development for the Haptenizing Chimeras Platform to Increase the Efficacy of Cancer Drugs
Sponsor: Amgen
School: University of California, Davis
Mentor: Jared Shaw
Research: Donor-Donor Polyinsertion Chemistry – Primed to Reshape the Synthetic Landscape of Oligostilbenoid Natural Products
Sponsor: Takeda
Northeastern University
Mentor: Roman Manetsch
Sponsor: BMS
Kansas State University
Mentor: Socrates Munoz
Sponsor: BioPharmaWorks
The Division of Organic Chemistry congratulates the nine 2016 DOC SURF award winners and gratefully acknowledges their sponsors (Merck and Pfizer). The winners are: Student School Mentor Sponsor Harrison Besser Harvard University Prof. Eric Jacobsen Pfizer Hannah Burdge Towson University Prof. Keith Reber Merck Shivansh Chawla Cornell University Prof. Yimon Aye Merck Corrine Elliott University …
Applications for SURF fellowships ($5,000) are now being accepted.The Division of Organic Chemistry annually awards Summer Undergraduate Research (SURF) Fellowships to outstanding undergraduate organic chemistry students attending colleges and universities in the United States. These competitive fellowships ($5000) are awarded on the merits of students’ research proposals, academic records, faculty recommendations and their passion for …
The ACS Organic Division requests nominations for 2015 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) Awards. These competitive fellowships will be awarded to talented undergraduate students throughout the United States who have been nominated by their departments and selected by an evaluation committee. These fellowships will provide support for undergraduates in organic chemistry to carry out research …
The Division of Organic Chemistry congratulates the six 2014 DOC SURF award winners, gratefully acknowledges their sponsors, and thanks The Journal of Organic Chemistry for the opportunity to publish the biographical sketches of the winners. Student School Mentor Sponsor Alexander Cleveland Tennessee Technological University Jessie Carrick Pfizer Nicolle Doering University of California Santa Barbara Armen …
The Division of Organic Chemistry congratulates the twelve 2012 DOC SURF award winners, gratefully acknowledges their sponsors, and thanks The Journal of Organic Chemistry for the opportunity to publish the biographical sketches of the winners. Student Sponsor School Mentor Ronald Besandre Division of Organic Chemistry University of Houston Jeremy A. May Alexander Burckle Pfizer University …
The Division of Organic Chemistry (DOC) congratualates the 15 students (listed below) who have been selected as the 2010 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF). We would also like to thank the sponsors who have funded these fellowships this year. Awardee School Mentor Sponsor Nadia C. Abascal Barnard College Christian Rojas Boehringer Ingelheim Juan Carlos Baso …
