Dr. Luis Sanchez

Biography

Research in Dr. Luis Sanchez’s group is dedicated to synthetic organic chemistry with a focus on the preparation of biologically active compounds.

Complex molecules, resembling those found in nature, essentially play a minor role in the search for bioactive substances even in present-day times. Elaborated structures can be expensive and difficult to assemble; we have taken the challenge of combining tactics for the construction of molecular architectures to achieve complexity from simple and inexpensive starting materials.

The group aims at finding means to corroborate complex molecules’ potential, to incorporate them in computer-aided screenings, and to pursue them synthetically. It is evident that, besides natural products, bulky natural-like and even unnatural complex molecules represent an important missing piece in the search for compounds with biological activities.

Influenced by earlier work in collaboration with Merck and the High-Throughput Screening Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Sanchez intends to continue both collaborating with other institutions and exploiting modern discovery approaches—like high-throughput experimentation and statistical experimental design—for the development of new synthetic methods. In particular, metal-catalyzed transformations represent a rich area of investigation with numerous applications yet to be discovered.

Dr. Sanchez’s goals as a research mentor are to engage students in a discovery-driven exploration, to encourage them to find inspiration in the natural world, and to nurture their creativity and intuition for design at the molecular level.

Focus of Teaching

Dr. Luis Sanchez teaches organic chemistry, including topics of medicinal, polymers, and organometallic chemistry.

Educational Background

• Ph.D. Organic Chemistry (2010), Michigan State University
• Licentiate in Chemistry (2005), Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
• B.S. Chemistry (2003), Pontifical Catholic University of Peru