Joseph Moran

Joseph Moran is a Full Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Ottawa and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair. He holds a BSc and PhD from the University of Ottawa, followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Strasbourg, where he became a Full Professor in 2018. His research focuses on prebiotic chemistry and the origins of life, particularly investigating nonenzymatic metabolic pathways and catalytic mechanisms.

Education:

• BSc in Chemistry, University of Ottawa (2004)
• PhD in Organic Chemistry, University of Ottawa (2009)

Research Interests:

• Nonenzymatic metabolic reactions
• Catalysis in prebiotic systems
• Transition metal roles in early Earth chemistry
• Vibrational strong coupling effects

His work demonstrates that key metabolic pathways, such as the reverse Krebs cycle, can occur without enzymes using inorganic catalysts, advancing understanding of life’s origins.

Awards:

• European Research Council (ERC) grants
• Junior Member, Institut universitaire de France (2021)
• Leibig Lectureship (2022)
• Talented 12 by C&EN (2018)

Advising & Grants:

• 17 PhD/Master’s students graduated (e.g., Sreejith Varma, Maciej Piejko)
• ERC grants and Volkswagen Foundation support
• Labs in Ottawa and Strasbourg collaborations

Labs & Teams: His Moran Lab explores systems chemistry and protometabolism. Collaborations include Thijs Stuyver (Chimie ParisTech) and William F. Martin (protometabolic nitrogen shuttles). Recent work focuses on electric field effects in microdroplets and nonenzymatic ribonucleoside formation.