Rate My Professor Tim O'Sullivan

Dr Tim O’Sullivan is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Chemistry in the Schools of Chemistry and Pharmacy at University College Cork. He obtained his BSc degree in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Limerick in 1997 and his PhD in natural products synthesis from the Australian National University under Prof. Lew Mander in 2001. His postdoctoral positions included research on anti-cancer Tamoxifen analogues with Prof. Mary Meegan at Trinity College Dublin in 2001 and on anti-inflammatory Lipoxin analogues with Prof. Pat Guiry at University College Dublin from 2003 to 2006, during which he also served as research manager. Appointed as Lecturer at UCC in 2006, he was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2023.

O’Sullivan’s research specializes in the design, synthesis, and development of novel bioactive compounds targeting antimicrobial resistance, inflammation, and viral infections. Key projects include sulfonamide-based quorum sensing inhibitors against DSF in cystic fibrosis pathogens, halogenated furanones disrupting AI-2 signaling in resistant bacteria, stable IMPDH inhibitors with heteroaryl and squaramide motifs, phosphorus-sulfur bonded NRTIs for HIV, and metabolically stable resolvin analogues as anti-inflammatories. His work has garnered media attention, including coverage in the Irish Times (2019) on breakthroughs against superbugs and RTÉ Brainstorm (2021) on anti-Covid drugs. He has supervised numerous PhD students and postdocs funded by prestigious schemes like EU MSCA and SFI. Selected publications are “Synthesis of quinazolinones and quinazolines” (Tetrahedron, 2005; 749 citations), “The Development of Enantioselective Rhodium-Catalysed Hydroboration of Olefins” (Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis, 2005; 386 citations), “Modulation of antibiotic sensitivity and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by interspecies signal analogues” (Nature Communications, 2019; 62 citations), and “Modern Synthetic Approaches to Phosphorus-Sulfur Bond Formation in Organophosphorus Compounds” (Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis, 2020; 77 citations). A member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and COST Action EURESTOP, he has won multiple awards at the Eli Lilly Postgraduate Research Symposium, including 1st place in 2017 and 2024, and the Best Invited Lecture Award in 2022. He coordinates several modules in pharmaceutical and organic chemistry.