Faculty Research Groups

Organic Chemistry

Organic chemistry research at Stony Brook covers synthetic and physical organic chemistry, organometallics, catalysis, bioorganic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and materials chemistry. Our wide range of research projects includes development of new and efficient synthetic methods, including organometallic reagents, catalysts; syntheses of natural and unnatural compounds of special interest in medicinal chemistry or materials chemistry; elucidation of enzyme reaction mechanisms, protein-protein, structure-activity relationship of pharmaceutical agents such as anticancer agents, various enzyme inhibitors, and receptor antagonists; preparation of organic solids with designed supramolecular geometry; and the use of organic models to explore polymer structures and properties.

Underpinning it all is a strong commitment to organic synthesis, which is what gives organic chemistry its unique power as a creative science.

	Dale Drueckhammer Professor. Computer-based design and synthesis of receptors and sensors for biomolecules. Design and synthesis of enzyme inhibitors. Enzyme reaction mechanisms
	Frank Fowler Professor . Synthetic chemistry.
	Nancy Goroff Associate Professor . Non-natural organic compounds and their properties; organic materials.
	Robert Grubbs Associate Professor. My research group is interested in the common ground shared by polymer, organic, and materials chemistry and we are involved in the design, synthesis, and characterization of polymer-based organic materials.
	Frank Johnson Professor. Synthesis of viral enzyme inhibitors. Chemical aspects of genetic toxicology. New organo-alkali synthetic chemi
	Joseph Lauher Professor . Structural chemistry and X-ray crystallography, supramolecular chemistry and crystal engineering, hydrogen bonding, topochemical polymerizations, conjugated polymers. molecular graphics.
	Iwao Ojima Distinguished Professor. Design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationships of medicinally-active compounds, especially anticancer agents. Development of new synthetic methods based on asymmetric synthesis, homogeneous catalysis and organometalic chemistry.
	Kathlyn A. Parker Synthesis of natural products ; methods of synthesis; especially those involving regio- and stereochemical problems; synthesis and study of modified biological molecules.
	Jon Rudick Assistant Professor. Design and synthesis of bioactive oligomers, peptides and bioconjugates. Molecular recognition of biomacromolecules. Nanostructured materials for biotechnology applications (e.g., sensors and diagnostics).
	Nicole Sampson Professor. Bioorganic chemistry and mechanistic enzymology. Investigation of the structure and function of cholesterol oxidase protein-membrane interactions, and its relationship to Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis. Synthesis of peptides and polymers to probe the role of ADAM proteins in mammalian fertilization.
	Peter Tonge Professor. Biological chemistry and enzymology. Quantitating substrate strain in enzyme-catalyzed reactions using vibrational and NMR spectroscopies. Rational drug design. Pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Structure-function studies of fluorescent proteins.