CCI Phase I: NSF Center for Chemoenzymatic Synthesis

Develop new strategies for organic synthesis around reactivity and selectivity using biocatalytic principles. The Center for ChemoEnzymatic Synthesis (C-CES) will drive a new frontier of organic synthesis by enabling new discoveries in biocatalysis and chemoenzymatic synthesis. During Phase I, C-CES will focus on the grand challenge of creating new selective reactions for carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bond formation by integrating biocatalytic and bioinspired transformations into chemical synthesis. C-CES will merge fundamental concepts and past success of small molecule catalysis with the unique advantages of efficiency and selectivity control available through supramolecular protein-based catalysts. The C-CES team will consist of a core of five internationally recognized scientists and two key academic collaborators (1 US academic and 1 international partner) with complementary areas of expertise in catalysis, organic synthesis, chemoenzymatic synthesis, machine learning, high throughput experimentation, protein engineering and biocatalysis.