Friday, 29 August 2025 11:00am – 12:00pm

This seminar will be delivered in Lecture Theatre 1

Speaker: Professor Andrew Lawrence

Host: Prof. Richard Payne

Title: Synthetic strategies and concepts inspired by natural products

Abstract
Our research effort is primarily focused on the total synthesis of natural products, exploring new strategies and concepts in chemical synthesis, and developing new synthetic methodology. This presentation will be an account of our research into how molecular complexity is rapidly and selectively generated in biosynthetic pathways. This will include our recent development of new synthetic strategies towards complex natural products (see completed targets below) and the exploration of new concepts in asymmetric synthesis.

Bio
Prof. Andy Lawrence is a synthetic organic chemist with research interests in the chemical synthesis of natural products, exploring new strategies and concepts in chemical synthesis, and developing new synthetic methodology. Andy completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford, St John’s College (2002–2006, MChem, Hons 1st Class) and subsequently obtained a DPhil degree in 2010 under the supervision of Prof. Sir Jack Baldwin FRS and Prof. Rob Adlington. Andy then moved to Australia to spend two years (2010–2011) as a postdoctoral research fellow with Prof. Mick Sherburn at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. In 2012, Andy began his independent academic career as an Australian Research Council Fellow at the ANU before moving back to the UK in 2013 for a permanent academic position at the University of Edinburgh, where he is now full Professor (Chair of Organic Synthesis) and currently Director of Research.

2024 – present Director of Research, Chemistry, University of Edinburgh
2020 – present Professor, Chair of Organic Synthesis, University of Edinburgh
2017 – 2020 Senior Lecturer, University of Edinburgh
2013 – 2017 Lecturer, University of Edinburgh
2012 – 2013 ARC DECRA Fellow, Australian National University
2010 – 2011 Postdoctoral Fellow, Australian National University (M. S. Sherburn)
2006 – 2010 DPhil, University of Oxford (J. E. Baldwin FRS, R. M. Adlington)
2002 – 2006 MChem, University of Oxford (St. John’s College)

Awards, Prizes, Funding
2025 UNSW Sydney Chemical Society Kornis Family Visiting Lectureship
2025 Leverhulme Trust Research Grant
2024 Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology Lectureship Award
2023 Science and Technology in Science (STS) Forum – Young Leader
2023 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK – Chemistry Finalist
2021 Leverhulme Trust Research Grant
2020 EPSRC New Horizons Grant
2018 BMOS-RSC Young Investigator Distinction Award
2017 ERC Starting Grant
2017 RSC Hickinbottom Award
2016 EPSRC First grant
2016 Thieme Chemistry Journals Award
2015 Royal Society – Research Grant
2014 Marie Curie Actions – Career Integration Grant
2014 Junior Scientists’ Fellowship of the 49th Bürgenstock Conference
2014 Australian Research Council – Discovery Project
2012 Australian Research Council – DECRA Fellowship