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Pursuing a career in the scientific world: lessons learned on the journey Prof dr. Syuzanna R. Harutyunyan Stratingh Institute for Chemistry University of Groningen Curriculum Vitae 2013 - Associate Professor of Synthetic Organic Chemistry

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Prof dr. Syuzanna R. Harutyunyan

Stratingh Institute for Chemistry University of Groningen

Pursuing a career in the scientific world: lessons learned on the journey

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Curriculum Vitae

2013 - Associate Professor of Synthetic Organic Chemistry Stratingh Institute, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen 2009-2013 Assistant Professor, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (NL) 2007-2009 Senior scientist, Johnson&Johnson-Tibotec-Janssen (Belgium) 2003-2007 Postdoctoral fellow, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (NL) 2002 Visiting scientist, Institute for Organic Chemistry (Poland) 2000-2003

  • PhD. in Chemistry, INEOS, Moscow (Russia))

1999 Medical representative Hoffmann-La Roche (Armenia) 1999

  • MSc. in Pharmacology, Yerevan State University (Armenia)
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Main research directions

Synthesis Catalysis Mechanisms Origin of life/chirality

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DNA replication

Self-replication

  • Exponential product growth

Homochirality

  • L-Amino acids and D-sugars are the main carriers of homochirality

Complex network of auto- and cross-catalytic reactions is at the origin of both biological self-replication and homochirality. A + B P1

catP1

A + B P1

catP2

C + D P2

catP1

Autocatalysis versus Cross-catalysis

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Auto-cross-catalysis

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  • Chem. Commun. 49, 5450, 2013

Auto-cross-catalysis

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Nature, 479, 208, 2011

Nanomotoring

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Side view Top view four-wheel drive

Nano 4-wheel-drive (4WD)

Nano 4-wheel-drive (4WD)

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Visualising a nano 4WD

STM: scanning tunneling microscopy

Cu(111)

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Catalytic asymmetric carbon-carbon bond formation

Environmentally benign and cost-effective catalytic methods for the synthesis of chiral alcohols/amines using organometallics

Why chiral alcohols and amines?

Lariam, malaria (Roshe) Repaglinide, antidiabetic (Novo Nordisk) Rivastigmine, Alzheimer's (Novartis) Efavirenz, HIV (Pfizer)

Chiral catalyst

RM

Secondary/tertiary alcohols/amines X = Alk, Ar, H

Current drugs in market

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RM 1,2-addition

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RM 1,4-addition

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Addition to conjugated α,β-unsaturated systems

Since 1941 Cu(I)-based reagents are used to

  • utcompete

1,2-selectivity in addition

  • f
  • rganometallics

Cu(I) Cu(I)

RM 1,4-addition

* *

RM 1,2-addition

Change of paradigm

Catalytic asymmetric carbon-carbon bond formation

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Cu(I)-catalysed 1,2-Addition of RMgBr to enones: change of paradigm! Cu(I)-catalysed addition of RMgBr to alkyl aryl ketones

Chiral ligand L

a)

  • Chem. Comm. 2012, 48, 1478

b)

  • Org. Biomol. Chem., 2012, 10,

2878

  • Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 3164

Catalytic asymmetric carbon-carbon bond formation

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Career overview: undergraduate stage

First steps on the academic path: 1999: Masters in Pharmacology (as second choice after medicin) at Yerevan State University (Note: at undergraduate level 70% of chem. students are female!) First work experience outside academia: 1999: Medical representative for Hoffmann-La Roche pharmaceuticals After finishing MSc. spent few months as visiting scientist with Prof. Belokon in Moscow ► offer to do PhD in Chemistry in Moscow

A career can not be planned; make the most of the opportunities that come your way

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Career overview: PhD stage

1999-2003: start PhD in Organic and Organometallic Chemistry with Prof. Yuri Belokon in Moscow My first mentor: Yuri Belokon helped a lot with transition from pharmacology to chemistry and until Advising me on my carreer decisions “as a woman you can do anything in science, but you have to decide where your priorities lie”

  • new strategies for enantioselective synthesis of amino acids in phase-transfer-conditions
  • methodologies have been applied for PET diagnostic
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Career overview: PhD stage

2002: following my mentors advise summer months spent as visiting scientist at Institute for Oganic Chemistry Warsaw (Poland) Working with Prof. Grela on metathesis reactions

  • Discovery of highly reactive alternative to Grubbs metathesis catalysts

Three months work resulted in:

  • paper in 2002, now 350 citations
  • paper in 2003, now 320 citations
  • Chapter for Willey books

Go places and work with different people, you're bound to learn new things and might be very rewarding

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Career overview: postdoc stage

2003: joined Prof. Ben Feringa at Stratingh Institute for Chemistry (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen) for postdoctoral research My second mentor: Ben Feringa gave me the freedom and support to develop into an independent researcher

  • discovery of the first enantioselective catalytic methodologies using Grignard reagents
  • first mechanistic studies of these reactions
  • applications in total synthesis of natural products
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Career overview: postdoc stage

During postdoctoral years growing doubts about future in academia Both Mentors: “you do belong in academia!”

Don't be afraid to explore your options; you might get good offers and possibly improve your current position

Applying for jobs in industry led to competing job offers from DSM, Johnson&Johnson

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Career overview: industry

2007: joined Johnson&Johnson-Tibotec-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Turnhout (Belgium) as Senior Scientist

  • development of metathesis catalysts, for synthesis of an anti-hepatitis drug (on market

since 2013)

  • 2 patents

Advantages:

  • knowledge of current challenges in industrial processes
  • contacts / networking (esp. nowadays when many grants require industrial participation

Disadvantages:

  • when going back to academia, “gap” in your C.V. !
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Career overview: industry

After two years came to conclusion that job in industry not satisfying because

  • f lack of independence, no choice of which projects to work on

Academic science more intellectually stimulating due to independence and scientific freedom

Listen to advice of your mentors, sometimes they know you better than you know yourself

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Career overview: tenure track

2010: hired as Assistant Professor of Synthetic Organic Chemistry at Stratingh Institute for Chemistry For the first time independent research group leader!

As an independent group leaders we have the freedom to choose not just projects we want to work on but also the people we want to work with in our labs. We can select and choose not only the most creative but also people we get along with–people

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Career overview: tenure track

Collaboration with Ben Feringa leads to Nature paper as corresponding author Design and synthesis of self-propelled molecule (“molecular4-wheel drive”) Appealing subject for broad audience Invitation to speak at TEDx event

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Career overview: tenure track

2011 Solvias Ligand Contest winner

  • r

how a request for free catalysts turned into a prestigious award 2012 Bűrgenstock conference

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how to nominate yourself for participation in prestigious events Don‟t be afraid to ask; the worst can happen they will say no

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Career overview: tenure track

2012: VIDI (NWO vernieuwingsimpuls) grant Third time lucky? 2010 1st attempt, proposal “Origin of chirality, origin of life” 2011 2nd attempt, proposal “Auto-cross-catalytic reactions” 2012 3rd attempt, proposal “New concepts for catalytic C-C bond formation” Solvias prize also certainly helped! Dream projects are not the best for grant applications, no matter how enthousiastic you may be about them

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Career overview: tenure track

Take a risk sometimes, put yourself out there 2013 Organization of international conference

200 participants from >20 different countries Invited speakers included: Eiichi Nakamura, Luisa De Cola, Paul Weiss, Bert Meijer, Erik Sorensen, Helma Wennemers, Stephen Hanessian, Matthias Beller… A year of continuous and hard of work, but eventually very rewarding:

  • doing something for your country
  • learning experience
  • meeting many new and interesting people
  • the best networking in my experience
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Lessons learned

A career can not be planned; make the most of the opportunities that come your way Go places and work with different people, you're bound to learn new things and might be very rewarding Don't be afraid to explore your options; you might get good

  • ffers and possibly improve your current position

Working in industry can be useful, but beware of the academic “gap” in your C.V. ! Listen to the advice of your mentors, sometimes they know you better than you know yourself Take a risk sometimes, put yourself out there Dream projects are not the best for grant applications, no matter how enthousiastic you may be about them

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My current research group and my mentors

  • Prof. Belokon
  • Prof. Feringa
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Lessons learned and useful advices by others

“How To Survive and Thrive in the Mother-Mentor Marathon” Galit Lahav, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School Molecular Cell 38, May 28, 2010 Discover and Use the „„Good Enough‟‟ Principle Delegate, Delegate, Delegate Break Big Dreams into Small Practical Tasks and Reward Yourself for Achieving Them Learn To Say „„No‟‟ and To Feel OK about It Discover the Things that Make It Worth It