Smith Group

June 2026 - New Member

Eilidh Deans joins us as a summer project student. Welcome!

Mar 2026 - Viva Celebrations

Congratulations to Shubham Agrawal and Zhanyu Zhou for the successful defense of their thesis!

Dec 2025 - Viva Celebration

Haoxiang Zhu successfully defends his thesis. Congratulations!

Nov 2025 - Viva Celebration

Congratulations to Justin O’Yang, who has successfully defended his thesis!

Oct 2025 - New Member

Welcome to Jiarui Li, who has joined to start his PhD with us!

Sept 2025 - New Members

Kenna White and Haozeng Wu join us to start their PhD studies. Welcome!

Mar – May 2025 - New Papers

Amazing work carried out by many of our students have resulted in multiple publications this spring - congratulations to all!

• Isothiourea-Catalysed Enantioselective Synthesis of Phosphonate-Functionalised β-lactones

• Isoselenourea-Catalyzed Enantioselective Pyrazolo-heterocycle Synthesis Enabled By Self-correcting Amide and Ester Acylation

• Isothiourea Catalysed Enantioselective Generation of Point and Axially Chiral Iminothia- and Iminoselenazinanones

• Isothiourea-Catalysed Acylative Kinetic and Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Planar Chiral Paracyclophanols

Dec 2024 - New Paper

Well done to those involved in our latest publication!

• In-Cage Recombination Facilitates the Enantioselective Organocatalytic [1,2]-Rearrangement of Allylic Ammonium Ylides

Nov 2024 - Viva celebrations

Alastair Nimmo successfully defends his thesis and is now working as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Thomas group at the University of Edinburgh - congratulations!

Sept 2024 - New Members

Josh Walker joins us to start his PhD studies with ADS, while Mhairi Kinahan, Will Merrick, Andrew Stirling, and Alexandra Yap join us as final year project students.

July – Aug 2024 - New Papers

Congratulations to those involved in our latest publications!

• One-Pot Access to Functionalised Malamides via Organocatalytic Enantioselective Formation of Spirocyclic β-Lactone-Oxindoles and Double Ring-Opening (in tribute to Prof. John Walton)

• Isothiourea-Catalysed Acylative Kinetic Resolution of Tertiary Pyrazolone Alcohols

June 2024 - New Member

Yitong Wang joins us for two months as a summer project student

Apr – May 2024 - New Papers

A very productive spring has led to a spate of publications, well done to all involved!

• De-epimerizing DyKAT of β-Lactones Generated by Isothiourea-Catalysed Enantioselective [2+2] Cycloaddition

• Enantioselective Synthesis in Continuous Flow: Polymer Supported Isothiourea Catalyzed Enantioselective Michael Addition-Cyclisation with α-Azol-2-ylacetophenones

• Isothiourea-Catalysed Acylative Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Tetra-substituted Morpholinone and Benzoxazinone Lactols

• Enantioselective Synthesis of Tetra-substituted 3-Hydroxyphthalide Esters by Isothiourea-Catalysed Acylative Dynamic Kinetic Resolution

• a-Phenylthioaldehydes for the effective generation of acyl azolium and azolium enolate intermediates

Jan 2024 - New Member

Dr Atanu Mondal joins us as a Marie Curie postdoctoral research fellow, welcome!

Oct – Dec 2023 - New Papers

Well done on the many recent publications by everyone involved!

• Intramolecular Hydrogen Bond Activation for Kinetic Resolution of Furanone Derivatives by an Organocatalyzed [3+2] Asymmetric Cycloaddition

• Understanding Divergent Substrate Stereoselectivity in the Isothiourea-Catalysed Conjugate Addition of Cyclic a-Substituted b-Ketoesters to a,b-unsaturated Aryl Esters

• Access to a Diverse Array of Bridged Benzo[1,5]oxazocine and Benzo[1,4]diazepine Structures

• Unveiling the impact of a CF2 motif in the isothiourea catalyst skeleton: Evaluating C(3)-F2-HBTM and its catalytic activity

Nov 2023 - New Member

Simon Morgenschweis joins us for six months as a visiting scholar from Bonn

Oct 2023 - New Member

Welcome to Sonia Kharb who has joined to begin her PhD studies with ADS

Sept 2023 - New Members

We welcome Martha Prindl, who has returned to pursue her PhD studies after recently finishing her MChem here, as well as Beau Bissett-Cooke, Hannah Mortlock, and Daisy Smith, who have joined the group as final year undergraduate project students.

Jun 2023 - New Paper and New Member

Julia Roeterdink joins us for two months as a summer project student. At the same time, well done to those involved in the recent publication!

• Enantioselective isothiourea-catalysed reversible Michael addition of aryl esters to 2-benzylidene malononitriles

RESEARCH