Alistair Sterling

Alistair Sterling is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), affiliated with the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. His research integrates computational modeling, theoretical physical organic chemistry, and electronic structure theory to study chemical reactivity, particularly in catalysis, molecular editing, and polymer upcycling. Sterling leads the Sterling Lab, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration with synthetic chemists and fostering skills in reaction mechanism analysis, coding, and scientific communication. He actively engages in outreach to promote public understanding of chemistry.

Education includes a DPhil in Organic Chemistry (University of Oxford, 2021), an MChem in Chemistry (University of Oxford, 2017), and postdoctoral fellowships at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and UC Berkeley. He holds the EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship (2021).

Research focuses on understanding chemical bonding and reactivity through computational tools, with applications in drug discovery and sustainable materials. Key themes include delocalization-enabled reactions, node-induced electron confinement, and strain-release mechanisms. The lab develops novel synthetic methods for creating complex molecules with pharmaceutical relevance, such as meta-substituted arene bioisosteres.

Notable awards include the Global Young Scientists Summit (2021), Young Modellers' Forum Best Talk Prize (2019), and multiple University of Oxford scholarships. His work bridges theory and experiment, aiming to advance both fundamental understanding and practical innovations in chemistry.