James Bour

James Bour is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Wayne State University, affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on catalysis, organometallic chemistry, and porous organic materials, emphasizing the design of catalyst platforms for selective chemical transformations. He holds a B.Sc. from Hope College (2013), a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan (2018), and completed a postdoc at MIT (2018–2020).

• Education:
  • B.Sc., Hope College, 2013
  • Ph.D., University of Michigan, 2018
  • Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT, 2018–2020

His research group, the Bour Lab, explores supramolecular assemblies and porous organic solids to develop novel catalytic methods. Key areas include methodology development for carbon-carbon bond formation and high-valent organometallic intermediates. Courses taught include advanced organic chemistry, synthesis laboratories, and seminars.

Awards and Grants:

• NSF CAREER Award (2023)
• Ebbing Faculty Development Award (2021–2024)
• NIH ESI R35 MIRA
• Thieme Chemistry Journals Award

His work has been published in top journals like Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Nature, and J. Am. Chem. Soc., with a focus on nickel-mediated coupling reactions and porous materials synthesis. The Bour Lab actively collaborates on projects involving material characterization and sustainable catalytic processes.