Philipp Heretsch

Prof. Dr. Philipp Heretsch is a Professor and Executive Director at the Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Leibniz University Hannover. He leads the Natural Product Synthesis research group and holds key roles in academic governance, including Deputy Coordinator for Exchange Programmes and representation on various examination and curriculum boards.

Research Interests: His research focuses on the synthesis of complex natural products, particularly terpenes and alkaloids, using biosynthesis-inspired strategies. He develops novel carbon–carbon bond manipulation techniques and rearrangement cascades. A significant emphasis is placed on the biological activity of synthesized compounds. He also pioneers the development of continuous flow reactor systems for the selective transformation of sensitive and short-lived chemical species.

Publication Trends: His recent publications (2020–2025) demonstrate a strong focus on biogenesis-inspired total synthesis of highly complex natural products (e.g., canataxpropellane, swinhoeisterol), the application of radical-polar crossover and rearrangement strategies, and the innovative use of flow chemistry for scalable and efficient synthesis of both natural products and functional molecules like odorants and ferrocenyl compounds.

Scientific Awards:

• ADUC Prize of the GDCh (2018)
• DECHEMA Young Scientist Prize for Natural Product Research (2020)
• ORCHEM Prize for Young Scientists of the Liebig Association for Organic Chemistry of the GDCh

Advising and Grants: While specific students are not listed, he leads an active research group. His work is supported by significant external funding, including an ERC Consolidator Grant for the project "RadCrossSyn" and support from the DFG Heisenberg Program, which facilitated his move to Leibniz University Hannover in 2021.

Labs and Teams: He heads the Natural Product Synthesis research group at the Institute of Organic Chemistry, Leibniz University Hannover. His research group, often referred to as the "Heretsch group," is dedicated to developing novel synthetic methodologies and applying them to the synthesis of biologically relevant natural products.