Keary Engle

Keary Engle, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at Scripps Research Institute. His research focuses on developing efficient and sustainable catalytic methods for small molecule synthesis, particularly in the areas of alkene/alkyne functionalization and transition metal chemistry. Engle holds a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford (2013) and a Ph.D. from The Scripps Research Institute (2013), alongside multiple undergraduate degrees from the University of Michigan (2007).

Key research interests include designing novel catalyst systems to address challenges in multi-step organic synthesis, emphasizing environmental sustainability and scalability. His lab has pioneered directed catalytic strategies for C-H activation and asymmetric synthesis, with applications in medicinal chemistry and materials science.

Recent work highlights include the development of copper-catalyzed alkyne functionalization platforms (2025), palladium-mediated atropisomer formation (2025), and tungsten-catalyzed stereodivergent isomerization (2025). Over 30+ scientific awards underscore his contributions, including the NSF CAREER Award (2021) and Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2019).

Engle has trained over 20+ students/postdocs, with notable collaborations spanning institutions like the University of Pittsburgh and Caltech. His lab emphasizes interdisciplinary training, combining organic, organometallic, and computational chemistry approaches.