معرفی
Helena C. Malinakova is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at The University of Kansas. She holds a B.S. and M.S. from the Institute of Chemical Technology (Prague), a Ph.D. from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and completed postdoctoral research at Emory University. Her research focuses on synthetic organic chemistry, particularly transition metal-mediated asymmetric reactions, palladium-catalyzed multi-component coupling processes, and the development of combinatorial methods for synthesizing medicinally relevant heterocycles.
Her work emphasizes the design of new synthetic methodologies using transition metal complexes to create complex organic molecules with high stereochemical control. Key projects include directed asymmetric palladation, palladium-catalyzed multi-component reactions for homoallylic alcohols and lactones, and the synthesis of isoindolones via Ru/Pd-catalyzed annulations. These efforts aim to advance drug discovery and natural product synthesis.
Dr. Malinakova has been honored with the NSF CAREER Award (2003–2008) and was a finalist for the H.O.P.E. teaching award from the KU Senior Class of 2012. Her research is supported by grants such as the NSF CAREER funding, enabling exploration of novel catalytic strategies and their application to biologically active molecules.
