Adventures in natural product synthesis 
(Lectures)
11 May 2011
5pm - 6pm, with light refreshments served after the lecture
Venue: Medium Chemistry Lecture Theatre, Ground Floor, Science Centre, 23 Symonds Street, University of Auckland
Host: School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, and the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery
Contact info: Professor Margaret Brimble, School of Chemical Sciences
Contact email: m.brimble@auckland.ac.nz
De le Mare Memorial Lecture by Professor Steven Ley, University of Cambridge.
The synthesis of functional molecules underpins our modern society from guaranteeing the quality and quantity of our food supply to the discovery of new healing drugs. In order to meet these challenges, the methods of synthesis and bond construction must evolve such that processes become more efficient and lead to less waste and lower energy consumption. Inevitably this requires us to question the dogmas of the past and seek new solutions and discover new reactivity together with newer methods and technologies to assemble these important functional materials.
This lecture will use the synthesis of complex natural products as a framework to make these discoveries.
The lecture will be suitable for people interested in chemistry, natural product synthesis and drug discovery. Professor Ley will also deliver the 2011 Maurice Wilkins Centre Lecture on Tuesday 10 May, on the topic “New Tools for Molecule Makers”, suitable for a general audience and those with an interest in biology and chemistry.
De le Mare Memorial Lecture
The de le Mare Memorial Lecture was instituted to honour the contribution of Professor Peter de la Mare who was the Head of Department of Chemistry between 1967 and 1980. The lecture brings distinguished international researchers to Auckland to provide a lecture highlighting their recent work in chemistry.
Biography
Steve Ley has been the BP (1702) Professor of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge since 1992. He was lecturer at Imperial College in 1975, promoted to Professor in 1983 and Head of Department in 1989. In 1990 he was elected to the Royal Society (London) and was President of The Royal Society of Chemistry from 2000-2002. Steve has published 700+ papers to date and 130+ target compounds have been synthesised. Steve’s work has been rewarded with many prestigious awards and accolades including the Paracelsus Prize, the Heinrich Wieland Prize, the Tetrahedron Prize, the Perkin Prize for Organic Chemistry and the High Throughput Drug Discovery Methodologies Award.
