Martin Burke

Martin Burke is the May and Ving Lee Professor for Chemical Innovation and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with additional appointments in Biochemistry, Biomedical & Translational Sciences, and multiple campus institutes including the Beckman Institute and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology.

Education

• B.S. Johns Hopkins University, 1998
• Ph.D. Harvard University, 2003
• M.D. Harvard Medical School, 2003

Research Interests

Burke’s program centers on molecular prosthetics: the design, synthesis and application of small molecules that replicate or replace missing or dysfunctional proteins. His group pioneered iterative cross-coupling (ICC) using MIDA-protected haloboronic acids to automate the construction of complex natural products and function-oriented small molecules. Current projects target ion-channel replacement in cystic fibrosis, iron-transport restoration in anemia, and non-toxic antifungals that overcome drug resistance.

Scientific Awards & Honors

• National Academy of Medicine (2021)
• AAAS Fellow (2021)
• ASCI Member (2021)
• iCON Award (2019)
• Mukaiyama Award, Japan (2019)
• ACS Nobel Laureate Award for Graduate Education (2017)
• Thieme-IUPAC Prize in Synthetic Organic Chemistry (2014)
• Elias J. Corey Award (2013)
• Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (2011)

Research Output & Impact

Burke has authored >120 peer-reviewed articles, >30 patents, and his work has been cited >20,000 times. High-impact publications in Nature, Science, and Angewandte Chemie have advanced automated synthesis, molecular prosthetics, and cystic fibrosis therapeutics.

Laboratory & Training

The Burke Laboratories house a multidisciplinary team of graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and physician-scientists developing next-generation molecular prosthetics. The group is supported by NIH, NSF, private foundations, and industry partnerships aimed at democratizing molecular innovation.