T. V. RajanBabu

T. V. RajanBabu is the Phyllis and Richard Leet Endowed Chair in Chemistry and an Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry at The Ohio State University's College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on developing new methodologies for stereoselective synthesis and enantioselective catalysis.

RajanBabu received his B. Sc (Special) and M. Sc. degrees from Kerala University and The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT, Madras), respectively. He obtained his Ph. D. from The Ohio State University working with Professor Harold Shechter and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University with the late Professor R. B. Woodward. After working at Dupont Central Research and Development where he became a Research Fellow in 1993, he returned to Ohio State as a Professor of Chemistry in 1995.

His research program centers on two major areas: (a) enantioselective catalysis of C-C, C-H and C-N bond formations; and (b) novel multi-component cyclization methods that lead to uncommon, atropisomeric 1,3-diene derivatives. His work has significant applications in natural product synthesis and pharmaceutical chemistry, including the development of practical methods for C-C bond formations based on hydrovinylation of various substrates.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on cobalt-catalyzed reactions, particularly cationic cobalt(I) catalysts for heterodimerization, cycloaddition, and hydrofunctionalization reactions of olefins. His work demonstrates sophisticated ligand design to control regio- and enantioselectivity in transformations of 1,3-dienes, enynes, and other unsaturated substrates. The research spans fundamental mechanistic studies to practical synthetic applications.

RajanBabu's research is primarily supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He has trained numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have gone on to faculty positions at prestigious institutions worldwide or research positions in industry and government agencies.

His laboratory has developed innovative methods for stereoselective synthesis with applications in natural product synthesis, including approaches to serrulatane and amphilectane diterpenes, pseudopterosins, and other biologically relevant molecules. His group continues to push the boundaries of asymmetric catalysis and stereoselective synthesis.