Corinna S. Schindler is a Professor of Chemistry at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. She develops catalytic reactions with environmentally benign metals such as iron, towards the synthesis of biologically active small molecules. For her research in the development of new catalysts, Schindler has been honored with several early-career researcher awards including the David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship in 2016, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship in 2017, and being named a member of the
C&EN
''Chemical & Engineering News'' (''C&EN'') is a weekly news magazine published by the American Chemical Society, providing professional and technical news and analysis in the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering.Organic and Bimolecular Chemistry'' since 2018.
Early life and education
Schindler was born and raised in
Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall (; "Swabian Hall"; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'' ) is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the ...
, Germany. She did her undergraduate work at the
Technical University of Munich
The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; german: Technische Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences.
Establis ...
, where she worked on organometallic chemistry. She completed her Diploma Thesis (equivalent of a Master of Science) in 2004 under the direction of
K. C. Nicolaou
Kyriacos Costa Nicolaou ( el, Κυριάκος Κ. Νικολάου; born July 5, 1946) is a Cypriot-American chemist known for his research in the area of natural products total synthesis. He is currently Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of ...
at the
Scripps Research Institute
Scripps Research, previously known as The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), is a nonprofit American medical research facility that focuses on research and education in the biomedical sciences. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the institu ...
in
La Jolla, California
La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781.
La Jolla is surrounded on ...
. In Nicolaou's group, Schindler worked on the total synthesis of the
natural product
A natural product is a natural compound or substance produced by a living organism—that is, found in nature. In the broadest sense, natural products include any substance produced by life. Natural products can also be prepared by chemical syn ...
s marinomycins A-C.
Schindler earned her
doctorate degree
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
in 2010 at the
ETH Zurich
(colloquially)
, former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule
, image = ETHZ.JPG
, image_size =
, established =
, type = Public
, budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021)
, rector = Günther Dissertori
, president = Joël Mesot
, ac ...
under the direction of Erick M. Carreira. Her PhD thesis focused on the development of new synthetic strategies to access the aeruginosin class of natural products, centered on the opening of oxabicyclic ring systems.
After completing her doctorate degree, Schindler joined
Eric N. Jacobsen
Eric N. Jacobsen (born February 22, 1960, in New York City, New York) is the Sheldon Emery Professor of Chemistry and former Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. He is a prominent figure in the field o ...
's research group at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
as a Feodor Lynen Postdoctoral Fellow. In Jacobsen's group, she developed
enantioselective
In chemistry, an enantiomer ( /ɪˈnænti.əmər, ɛ-, -oʊ-/ ''ih-NAN-tee-ə-mər''; from Ancient Greek ἐνάντιος ''(enántios)'' 'opposite', and μέρος ''(méros)'' 'part') – also called optical isomer, antipode, or optical anti ...
photoredox catalysis Photoredox catalysis is a branch of photochemistry that uses single-electron transfer. Photoredox catalysts are generally drawn from three classes of materials: transition-metal complexes, organic dyes, and semiconductors. While organic photoredox ...
for amine oxidations.
Schindler began her independent career in 2013 at the University of Michigan as an Assistant Professor. She was promoted to Associate Professor (and granted tenure) in 2019.
Research interests
Schindler's research group includes an international team of researchers working in the area of organic chemistry with an emphasis on the synthesis of molecules of biological importance. Key areas of interest include the development of new synthetic routes for molecules that are potentially important in the areas of material science and medicine. Schindler's research group also focuses on the synthesis of biologically active natural products such as the platelet aggregation and influenza virus replication inhibiting herqulines B and C.
Her laboratory recently reported a carbonyl-olefin ring closure metathesis reaction using an environmentally benign iron
catalyst
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
,
iron(III) chloride
Iron(III) chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula . Also called ferric chloride, it is a common compound of iron in the +3 oxidation state. The anhydrous compound is a crystalline solid with a melting point of 307.6 °C. The col ...
, that could replace widely-used precious metal catalysts, which are expensive and can be harmful to the environment.
Awards and honors
For her contributions to science, Schindler has been the recipient of many research and recognition awards. These include:
* Feodor-Lynen FellowshipAlexander von Humboldt Foundation (2010)
* ETH Medal (2011)
* NSF Career Award (2016)
* Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2018)
*
C&E News
''Chemical & Engineering News'' (''C&EN'') is a weekly news magazine published by the American Chemical Society, providing professional and technical news and analysis in the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering.Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is an American philanthropic nonprofit organization. It was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., then-president and chief executive officer of General Motors.
The Sloan Foundation makes grants to support or ...
Fellow (2107)
*
ACS Award in Pure Chemistry
The American Chemical Society Award in Pure Chemistry is awarded annually by the American Chemical Society (ACS) "to recognize and encourage fundamental research in pure chemistry carried out in North America by young men and women." "Young" me ...