William Kerr
استاد · Metal-mediated synthetic organic chemistry
University of Strathclydeمعرفی
Professor William Kerr is a distinguished academic at the University of Strathclyde, holding the position of 1919 Professor of Organic Chemistry and serving as Associate Deputy Principal for Research & Knowledge Exchange. He leads the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry within the Faculty of Science, where he has established himself as a world leader in metal-mediated synthetic organic chemistry.
Professor Kerr's research spans multiple areas of organometallic chemistry, with particular expertise in organomagnesium, organoiridium, organocobalt, and organochromium chemistry. His work focuses on developing new preparative techniques, creating asymmetric processes, and applying these methods to total synthesis. His group has made significant contributions to hydrogen isotope exchange reactions, which have important pharmaceutical applications for labeling drug candidates and their metabolites.
His research has been published in over 350 research outputs, with recent work focusing on iridium-catalyzed hydrogen isotope exchange, selective deuteration methods, and sustainable synthesis approaches. The trends in his publications demonstrate a consistent focus on developing practical, industrially relevant synthetic methods with applications in drug discovery and development.
- ICI Fine Chemicals Young Lecturer (1991)
- Glaxo Wellcome Prize for Innovative Organic Chemistry (1997)
- Elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2014)
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2009)
Professor Kerr has secured significant research funding from EPSRC, private funding bodies, and industrial collaborators including GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Merck. He directs the University of Strathclyde and GlaxoSmithKline Collaborative Doctoral Training Centre in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry, which has supported over 50 research students. His group has been instrumental in developing academic-industry partnerships that serve as exemplars for university-business collaboration, highlighted in Sir Tim Wilson's Review of University-Business Collaboration.
Based in the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde, the Kerr Research Group maintains strong collaborations with industrial partners and academic colleagues, particularly with Dr. Tell Tuttle on computational aspects of iridium-catalyzed reactions. The group's work contributes to Sustainable Development Goals related to industry, innovation, and infrastructure.
