Technology Partnership of Nagoya University, Inc.
World Class Research Contributing to Society
Dr. Sidney Wilkerson-Hill
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
BIO.
Sidney is currently an assistant professor in the Chemistry Department at UNC Chapel Hill where his research focuses on methods to obtain orphaned cyclopropanes. Sidney Hill was born in Kinston, North Carolina and began his undergraduate studies at North Carolina State University in 2006. He obtained a B.S. in Polymer and Color Chemistry through the College of Textiles, a B.S. in Chemistry through the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences in 2010. In 2015, Sidney received his Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Richmond Sarpong from the University of California, Berkeley where his researched focused on using transition metal-catalyzed cycloisomerization reactions to access natural product scaffolds. Then, he was a UNCF-Merck postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Huw Davies at Emory University in Atlanta, GA where his research focused on developing novel reactions using N-sulfonyltriazoles and rhodium tetracarboxylate catalysts for C–H functionalization reactions. During his graduate studies, Sidney was also involved in diversity initiatives such as the Berkeley Science Network, and California Alliance programs to address disparities facing minorities pursuing careers in the physical sciences. Since starting at UNC, he has received the NIH MIRA Award, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, NSF CAREER Award, ACS Herman Frasch Foundation grant, Eli Lilly ACC Grantee Award, FMC Young Investigator Award, the ACS Organic Letters Lectureship, and the Thieme Journal Award.
Orphaned Cyclopropanes
The goal of the Hill group is to develop new reactions to obtain pyrethroids, small molecules used to combat vectors for malaria (e.g., Anopheles gambiae). We are particularly interested in identifying new small molecule pyrethroids with enhanced photostability, reduced off target toxicological properties to beneficial pollinators, and reduced insect resistance profiles. To accomplish these goals, my research group is developing new routes to orphaned cyclopropanes, a structural motif found in many pyrethroids, by 1) developing new reactions to functionalize strained rings;
2) obtaining a mechanistic understanding of Group 10 metal alkylidenes; and
3) discovering new reagents that serve as carbene precursors. These methods to obtain orphaned cyclopropanes also enable the discovery of new cyclopropane-containing medicines, since they permit rational structure activity relationship studies at the 1,1-dialkyl position - a traditionally understudied portion of chemical space.
Selected Publication
Full list of Publication