Mark Lautens
{{Short description|Canadian organic chemist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mark Lautens
| post-nominals = O.C. FRSC
| image = Mark Lautens Formal.jpg
| birth_name = Mark Lautens
| birth_date = {{Birth-date and age|July 9, 1959}}
| birth_place = Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| alma_mater = University of Guelph (B.Sc) 1981
University of Wisconsin–Madison (Ph.D.) 1985
Harvard University (Post-Doctoral Research) 1985-1987
| occupation = University Professor of Organic Chemistry
| years_active = 1987 - present
| known_for = Chemistry, Catalysis, Science Advocacy
| awards = J.J. Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award, Killam Fellowship
}}
Mark Lautens, OC, {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|O.C.|FRSC}} (born July 9, 1959) is a Canadian organic chemist and is a University Professor at the University of Toronto and current Chair of the Chemistry Department.
He is known for his involvement in the developments of asymmetric ring-opening chemistry, synthetic utility and scope of the Catellani Reaction including the use of ligands to facilitate the reaction,{{Cite journal|title=Remote C−H alkylation and C−C bond cleavage enabled by an in situ generated palladacycle|journal=Nature Chemistry|volume=9|issue=4|pages=361–368|doi=10.1038/nchem.2631|pmid = 28338687|year=2017|last1=Ye|first1=Juntao|last2=Shi|first2=Zhihao|last3=Sperger|first3=Theresa|last4=Yasukawa|first4=Yoshifumi|last5=Kingston|first5=Cian|last6=Schoenebeck|first6=Franziska|last7=Lautens|first7=Mark|s2cid=195347}}{{Cite journal|title=Palladium-catalysed norbornene-mediated C–H functionalization of arenes|journal=Nature Chemistry|volume=7|issue=11|pages=863–870|doi=10.1038/nchem.2372|pmid = 26492005|year=2015|last1=Ye|first1=Juntao|last2=Lautens|first2=Mark|bibcode=2015NatCh...7..863Y }} carbohalogenation,{{Cite journal|title=Palladium-Catalyzed Carboiodination of Alkenes: Carbon−Carbon Bond Formation with Retention of Reactive Functionality|journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society|volume=133|issue=6|pages=1778–1780|doi=10.1021/ja110377q|pmid=21265523|year = 2011|last1 = Newman|first1 = Stephen G.|last2=Lautens|first2=Mark}} multi-component multi-catalyst reactions, and domino catalysis. He has supervised over 50 doctoral students and has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals.
Education and career
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Lautens received a Bachelor of Science degree with distinction from the University of Guelph in 1981 where he worked with Professor Gord Lange. He then moved to the University of Wisconsin–Madison for his Ph.D. (1981-1985) working with Professor Barry M. Trost with an NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship. Following graduation, he was an NSERC PDF{{clarify|What does this jargon mean?|date=October 2018}} at Harvard University (1985-1987) in the laboratories of Professor David A. Evans. In 1987 he was appointed as an NSERC URF assistant professor at the University of Toronto and was promoted to professor in 1995. Since 2012, he has held the rank of University Professor, awarded to up to 2% of the faculty at the University of Toronto.{{cite web|title=Curriculum Vitae|url=http://www.chem.utoronto.ca/staff/ML/mark.php}} As of 2023, he took on the role of Chair of the Chemistry Department for a 5-year term.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-10 |title=University Professor Mark Lautens appointed as new Chair |url=https://www.chemistry.utoronto.ca/news/university-professor-mark-lautens-appointed-new-chair |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.chemistry.utoronto.ca |language=en}}
Science advocacy
Lautens has made an effort to improve government support for funding science in Canada, and for young researchers in particular, by contributing op-ed pieces to various newspapers including The Toronto Star,{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2019/07/22/where-do-the-federal-parties-stand-on-basic-and-applied-research.html|title=Where do the federal parties stand on basic and applied research? {{!}} The Star|website=thestar.com|date=22 July 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-30}} The Globe and Mail{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/young-scientists-face-too-many-funding-obstacles/article37372543/|title=Young scientists face too many funding obstacles}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-science-budget-reveals-the-need-for-new-research-strategies/|title=The 'science budget' reveals the need for new research strategies}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-graduate-students-are-the-lifeblood-of-research-they-need-more/|title=Graduate students are the lifeblood of research. They need more support|newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=17 December 2018 |last1=Lautens |first1=Mark }}{{Cite news|title=Opinion: Without foreign exchange students, we lose a vital transfer of knowledge|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-without-foreign-exchange-students-we-lose-a-vital-transfer-of/|access-date=2021-06-16}} and The Hill Times.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hilltimes.com/2018/09/10/canadas-research-stars-get-shot-funding-foreign-scholars/155515|title=Canada's research stars should get a shot at same funding as foreign scholars|date=2018-09-10}} He has also described his personal experiences while presiding at citizenship ceremonies {{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-what-i-learn-from-new-canadians/|title=What I learn from new Canadians}} and has also questioned why there are not more scientists running for office.{{Cite news|title=Why don't more scientists run for office?|newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=4 November 2019 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-why-dont-more-scientists-run-for-office/|last1=Lautens |first1=Mark }}{{Cite web|date=2021-06-03|title=Opinion {{!}} Scientists are missing in politics and this needs to change|url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/06/03/scientists-are-missing-in-politics-and-this-needs-to-change.html|access-date=2021-06-16|website=thestar.com|language=en}} As of 2023, he has presided over 100 citizenship ceremonies.{{Cite web |date=2024-04-11 |title=Mark Lautens performs 100th Citizenship Ceremony |url=https://www.chemistry.utoronto.ca/news/mark-lautens-performs-100th-citizenship-ceremony |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.chemistry.utoronto.ca |language=en}}
During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, Lautens published a piece describing how research funding to science and medicine are crucial for a successful response{{Cite web|title=Turning on the 'science tap' to fight COVID-19|website=Toronto Star |date=23 March 2020 |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/03/23/turning-on-the-science-tap-to-fight-covid-19.html}} and supports paying students and post-docs a better wage.{{Cite news |last=Lautens |first=Mark |date=2022-10-21 |title=Opinion: To support science research in Canada, we must pay grad students and postdocs better |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-to-support-science-research-in-canada-we-must-pay-grad-students-and/ |access-date=2022-10-31}} He mentions how we have learned a lot about the importance of science, but even more about how science needs to be deployed broadly and with full force if we hope to tackle the most challenging societal problems.{{Cite news|title=Opinion: Canada's approach to scientific research has left us lagging behind when we need it the most|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canadas-approach-to-scientific-research-has-left-us-lagging-behind/|access-date=2021-06-16}} He further described how the current situation is shedding light on the "messy and sometimes infuriating process of scientific discovery".{{Cite news|title=The pandemic is shedding light on the messy and sometimes infuriating process of scientific discovery|newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=May 2020 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-pandemic-is-shedding-light-on-the-messy-and-sometimes-infuriating/|last1=Lautens |first1=Mark }} He has encouraged compassion and empathy in the time of the pandemic.{{Cite web|date=2021-06-06|title=Opinion {{!}} It's different when it's your arm|url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/06/06/its-different-when-its-your-arm.html|access-date=2021-06-16|website=thestar.com|language=en}}
Honours and awards
Lautens was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2001. He is currently the AstraZeneca Professor of Organic Chemistry (1998–present) and was an NSERC/Merck Frosst Industrial Research Chair (2003–2013). In 2009, he was an Alexander von Humboldt awardee. In 2013, he was awarded the Chemical Institute of Canada's CIC Medal.{{cite web|url=http://www.cheminst.ca/awards/cic-medal/mark-lautens|title=Mark Lautens}} In 2014, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "for his contributions at the forefront of organic chemistry, which have led to the creation of new medicinal compounds with fewer side effects".{{cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15922&lan=eng|title=Governor General Announces 95 New Appointments to the Order of Canada|date=December 26, 2014}} He was awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Science, honoris causa, from the University of Guelph in 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://news.uoguelph.ca/2016/10/four-receive-honorary-doctorates-fall-convocation/|title=Four to Receive Honorary Degrees at Fall 2016 Convocation|date=2016-10-06}} In 2017, he was awarded the Henry Marshall Tory Medal from the Royal Society of Canada.{{Cite web|url=https://www.trinity.utoronto.ca/about/news/2017/Professor_Mark_Lautens_Awarded_Henry_Marshall_Tory_Medal.html|title=Professor Mark Lautens Awarded Henry Marshall Tory Medal}}
In addition to his awards for his research, he received the J.J. Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award in 2017, which recognizes outstanding performance in the multiple roles associated with doctoral supervision.{{Cite web|url=https://news.artsci.utoronto.ca/all-news/mark-lautens-jjberry-smith-award/|title=Mark Lautens receives JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award|date=2017-06-07}} In 2020, he won the E.W.R. Steacie Award for making a distinguished contribution to chemistry while working in Canada, being the second chemistry professor at the University of Toronto to do so.{{Cite web|title=Mark Lautens wins 2020 E.W.R. Steacie Award|date=23 January 2020 |url=https://www.chemistry.utoronto.ca/news/mark-lautens-wins-2020-ewr-steacie-award}} Recently, the American Chemical Society announced that Lautens won the 2021 Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods for his outstanding creative research that involved the discovery and development of novel and useful methods for chemical synthesis.{{Cite web|title=ACS 2021 national award winners|url=https://cen.acs.org/people/awards/ACS-2021-national-award-winners/98/i31}} Most recently, he is the recipient of the University of Toronto's 2021 Chair's Teaching Award.{{Cite web|title=John Ford and Mark Lautens honoured with Outstanding Staff and Outstanding Teaching awards|date=31 May 2021 |url=https://www.chemistry.utoronto.ca/news/john-ford-and-mark-lautens-honoured-outstanding-staff-and-outstanding-teaching-awards}} Lautens received the E.C. Taylor Senior Award in 2024 from the [http://www.ishc-web.org/ International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry] as recognition for outstanding contributions to the field.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-02 |title=Lautens Receives E.C. Taylor Award |url=https://www.chemistry.utoronto.ca/news/lautens-receives-ec-taylor-award |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.chemistry.utoronto.ca |language=en}} He is the second Canadian chemist to receive this award.
Other awards
- E.W.R. Steacie Fellow (1994)
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2001)
- A. C. Cope Scholar (2006)
- Alexander von Humboldt Awardee (2009–2015)
- Fellow of the Royal Society of UK (2011)
- Royal Society of Chemistry Pedler Award (2011){{Cite web|url=http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/PedlerAward/2011winner.asp|title=Pedler Award 2011 Winner}}
- Killam Research Fellowship (2013–2015){{Cite web|url=https://www.utoronto.ca/news/better-living-through-chemistry-mark-lautens|title=Better living through chemistry: Mark Lautens}}
- Officer of the Order of Canada (2014){{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/headlines/q-a-with-mark-lautens-order-of-canada-honouree-1.2885066|title=Q&A with Mark Lautens, Order of Canada honouree}}
- CIC Catalysis Award (2016)
- J.J. Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award (2017)
- Henry Marshall Tory Medal (2017)
- Senior Fellow of Massey College{{Cite web|url=https://www.masseycollege.ca/|title=Massey College – Sapere Aude|language=en-CA|access-date=2019-09-30}}
- E.W.R. Steacie Award (2020)
- University of Guelph Alumni Association Alumni of Honour (2020)
- Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods (2021)
- Chair's Teaching Award (2021)
- E.C Taylor Award (2024)
References
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Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
Category:Officers of the Order of Canada
Category:Scientists from Hamilton, Ontario
Category:University of Guelph alumni