Current Position:
Miller Endowed Chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor
Institution:
The Ohio State University
Discipline:
Organic Chemistry
Recognized for: Developing radical and carbene chemistry to selectively edit carbon-hydrogen bonds, enabling faster and safer access to complex molecules for discovery of better medicines.
Areas of Research Interest and Expertise:
Catalysis, Synthesis, Radicals, Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry
Previous Positions:
Harold and Betty Miller Professor of Organic Chemistry, The Ohio State University
Associate Professor with Tenure, The Ohio State University
Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University
NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley, USA (Advisor: F. Dean Toste)
Ph.D., Princeton University, USA (Advisor: David W. C. MacMillan)
Research Summary:
Organic synthesis is a major bottleneck in the discovery of new medicines. To address this, David Nagib, PhD, develops methods to create key medicinal building blocks by harnessing reactive chemical species called radicals and carbenes. His lab has invented ways to activate inert portions of complex molecules and advanced drug candidates to rapidly access analogs with privileged motifs, such as nitrogen-containing rings. By turning high-energy chemistry into reliable methods, Nagib’s work helps chemists create more potent and selective medicines faster, cheaper, and more efficiently. These advances are accelerating pharmaceutical discovery and expanding what is possible in modern organic chemistry.
“The discovery of better medicines requires increasingly complex molecules. To access untapped chemical space, the invention of new synthetic technologies is often needed. Luckily, I’ve had many creative students and colleagues over the years who have been eager to harness reactive radicals to do this in the most creative ways. Thank you to the Blavatnik Family for recognizing their efforts and encouraging us to keep exploring!”
Key Publications:
Other Honors:
2025 JACS “Most Read” Article of the Year
2024 Blavatnik National Award Finalist
2023 Brown Investigator Award, Brown Science Foundation
2022 Pfizer Global Chemistry Forum, Keynote Speaker
2022 National Academy of Sciences, Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium
2021 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, American Chemical Society
2021 Merck Outstanding Chemists of Color Award
2020 Lilly Young Investigator Award
2020 JOC Outstanding Article of the Year Award
2019 Sloan Research Fellowship
In the Media: