Professor David St Clair Black AO FAA is the recipient of the 2017 David Craig Medal and Lecture and will be presenting a series of David Craig lectures across Australia.
Synthetic organic chemistry is a creative area of science involving the transformation of existing molecules into completely new ones, possibly leading to new drugs or materials. Once the target structure has been chosen, a synthetic route must be determined. A new target molecule must combine originality of structure with feasibility of synthesis. The process is one of molecular architecture followed by molecular construction; in addition to science there is an artistic element in this field of research. Professor Black will illustrate these principles in the case of indoles, where he has investigated the chemical reactions of specifically activated indoles and generated a wide range of interesting, novel structures.
Professor David Black studied chemistry at the University of Sydney. Following a Masters degree mentored by Francis Lions, he was awarded an Overseas Scholarship of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to undertake a PhD in Cambridge with Lord Todd. After post-doctoral research with Thomas Katz at Columbia University, he was appointed to a lectureship at Monash University. In 1983 he moved to the chair of organic chemistry at the University of New South Wales. He has spent periods of study leave at the ETH Zürich (with Albert Eschenmoser), Würzburg University as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow (with Siegfried Hünig) and Cambridge University (with Alan Battersby). He has also held Visiting Professorships in Tokyo, Auckland, Göttingen, Innsbruck and Kobe. He has won the Rennie, Smith, Birch and Leighton Medals of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, of which he served as National President in 1998. David Black has also contributed to international science as Secretary General of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry from 2004-2011, and Secretary General of the International Council for Science from 2011-2018. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and an Officer of the Order of Australia.
Professor Black has made major contributions to organic chemistry in the general fields of heterocyclic chemistry, coordination chemistry and natural products. His research has focused on the design and synthesis of new molecular structural types, often related to important known natural products, but displaying deliberate reactivity variations that are not found in nature. He was a pioneer in the use of metal coordination for the control of organic reactions, and has also discovered new reactions of activated indoles leading to the construction of molecular receptors and small peptide mimics.
Lecture dates:
The David Craig Medal is made in honour of the outstanding contribution to chemical research of the late Emeritus Professor David Craig, AO, FAA, FRS. Its purpose is to recognise contributions of a high order to any branch of chemistry by active researchers. The awardee is expected to present several lectures in cities across Australia.
The above locations and dates are for guide. Links to organisers websites have been provided where lecture details have been advertised online and this page will be updated as more are made available. Please check lecture details with local organisers as these are liable to change without notice.
Dr Wallace Wong: wwhwong@unimelb.edu.au
Professor David St Clair Black AO FAA is the recipient of the 2017 David Craig Medal and Lecture and will be presenting a series of David Craig lectures across Australia.
Synthetic organic chemistry is a creative area of science involving the transformation of existing molecules into completely new ones, possibly leading to new drugs or materials. Once the target structure has been chosen, a synthetic route must be determined. A new target molecule must combine originality of structure with feasibility of synthesis. The process is one of molecular architecture followed by molecular construction; in addition to science there is an artistic element in this field of research. Professor Black will illustrate these principles in the case of indoles, where he has investigated the chemical reactions of specifically activated indoles and generated a wide range of interesting, novel structures.
Professor David Black studied chemistry at the University of Sydney. Following a Masters degree mentored by Francis Lions, he was awarded an Overseas Scholarship of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to undertake a PhD in Cambridge with Lord Todd. After post-doctoral research with Thomas Katz at Columbia University, he was appointed to a lectureship at Monash University. In 1983 he moved to the chair of organic chemistry at the University of New South Wales. He has spent periods of study leave at the ETH Zürich (with Albert Eschenmoser), Würzburg University as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow (with Siegfried Hünig) and Cambridge University (with Alan Battersby). He has also held Visiting Professorships in Tokyo, Auckland, Göttingen, Innsbruck and Kobe. He has won the Rennie, Smith, Birch and Leighton Medals of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, of which he served as National President in 1998. David Black has also contributed to international science as Secretary General of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry from 2004-2011, and Secretary General of the International Council for Science from 2011-2018. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and an Officer of the Order of Australia.
Professor Black has made major contributions to organic chemistry in the general fields of heterocyclic chemistry, coordination chemistry and natural products. His research has focused on the design and synthesis of new molecular structural types, often related to important known natural products, but displaying deliberate reactivity variations that are not found in nature. He was a pioneer in the use of metal coordination for the control of organic reactions, and has also discovered new reactions of activated indoles leading to the construction of molecular receptors and small peptide mimics.
Lecture dates:
The is made in honour of the outstanding contribution to chemical research of the late Emeritus Professor David Craig, AO, FAA, FRS. Its purpose is to recognise contributions of a high order to any branch of chemistry by active researchers. The awardee is expected to present several lectures in cities across Australia.
The above locations and dates are for guide. Links to organisers websites have been provided where lecture details have been advertised online and this page will be updated as more are made available. Please check lecture details with local organisers as these are liable to change without notice.
Dr Wallace Wong: wwhwong@unimelb.edu.au
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