Rate My Professor Adrian Dobbs

Dobbs' research philosophy emphasizes developing new synthetic methodologies for the total synthesis and analogue production of complex natural products to explore biological pathways and disease mechanisms. Current efforts concentrate on asymmetric synthesis of heterocyclic systems via Lewis acid-mediated reactions of organosilicon compounds, organofluorine chemistry, and radical cyclisation reactions. These methodologies have facilitated total syntheses of biologically active molecules including (+)- and (-)-solenopsin A, (±)-epi-dihydropinidine, racemic and enantiomerically pure civet, (±)-ritalin, and the first syntheses of (+)- and (-)-irciniasulfonic acid. Funding from EPSRC, the EU, GSK, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund supports interdisciplinary projects, such as steroid-based compounds probing oestrogen and glucocorticoid receptors, nitro-containing anti-parasitic heteroaromatics, and the anti-mesothelioma agent JBIR-23. Dobbs has spoken at public engagement events on asbestos dangers and lung cancers. He holds AKC, CChem, and FRSC qualifications, with awards including the University Alliance 'Professionals Prize' (2021), RSC Inspirational Member Prize and Award (2015), Samuel Smiles Prize (1991), and Style Silver Medal (1991). Key publications are 'Oxidative Photochemical Cyclisations to Access Spiroketals' (2024), 'Double Prins Cyclisation Enabled Rapid Access to α,ω-Bishydroxylated Ketones' (2022), 'Donor cyclopropanes in synthesis: utilising silylmethylcyclopropanes to prepare 2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans' (2011), 'The silyl–Prins reaction: a novel method for the synthesis of dihydropyrans' (2002), and 'First Total Synthesis of the Irciniasulfonic Acids' (2005).