معرفی
Robert Batey is a Full Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto, serving as Co-Director of the Acceleration Consortium's Medicinal Chemistry Self-Driving Lab (SDL) and former Chair of the Department (2013–2023). His research focuses on organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and applications in drug discovery, with a particular emphasis on organoboron chemistry and protease inhibitors. He holds a B.A. from Oxford University and a Ph.D. from Imperial College London. His work bridges synthetic methods, structural analysis, and computational science, including collaborations on machine learning-driven molecule design.
Key research areas include: synthetic methods using organoboron compounds, combinatorial chemistry, hetero Diels-Alder reactions, and the development of small molecules targeting ClpP proteases and ubiquitin pathways. His group has synthesized natural products like himeic acid A, kitastatin, and martinelline, as well as novel antibiotics and PROTACs.
Recent publications highlight advancements in AI-driven drug design (e.g., GFlowNets for molecular generation), structure-based antibiotics development, and PROTAC complex structure prediction. Awards include the CSC Merck-Frosst Award and multiple teaching/research accolades.
- Awards: CSC Merck-Frosst Award, Merck Academic Development Award, Bio-Méga/Boehringer Ingelheim Young Investigator Award, and teaching excellence recognition.
- Advising: Active mentorship of graduate students and postdocs in organic chemistry, with a focus on independent research and problem-solving.
- Labs: Located in Lash Miller Building (3rd floor), including North Lab (LM 371) and South Lab (LM 370).
