SOS ECAB: Meet Prof. Ana Bahamonde
Science of Synthesis Early Career Advisory Board (SOS ECAB)
Meet the members of the Science of Synthesis Early Career Advisory Board for 2025-2027!
Find out from the interview below, which field of organic chemistry they are most interested in and why, which chemist would they like to meet, which challenges they see for young upcoming chemists and how to handle them, and last but not least: what they do to relax after a busy day!
Six Questions to Prof. Ana Bahamonde
1. Which field of organic chemistry are you interested in the most and why?
I work in homogeneous catalysis with first-row transition-metal catalysts. I chose this field because, through both one- and two-electron mechanisms, these metals enable more pathways than the more established precious metals. This facilitates new reactivity, new disconnections, and presents a challenge for the community in trying to understand their behavior.
2. If there is one thing you would like people to understand about your research, what would that be
Our main focus is to understand how and why the reactions are occurring so that we can challenge the current opinion of first-row transition metals as being unreliable and unpredictable.
3. What do you do to relax after a busy day?
I watch a lot of sports on television, especially soccer, basketball, and American football.
4. Given the chance to meet any chemist (living or dead) who would it be and why?
I would love to have met Gregory Hillhouse because he laid the foundation for most of the chemistry we work on through a series of stoichiometric experiments that demonstrated how to accelerate Ni-mediated reductive elimination.
5. Which potential do you see in organic chemistry in the future?
While this is not my focus, I think the current efforts to merge organic chemistry and artificial intelligence to find new targets and uncover underlying reasons for reactivity trends from a broad perspective hold great potential.
6. Which difficulties are there for young upcoming chemists in your field? Do you have any tips
I think the hardest challenge is to establish your brand—deciding what you want your group to do and be known for, and what sets you apart from the rest. My advice is to follow your ideas but also pay close attention to the unexpected results that chemistry often provides.
Learn More about the SOS ECAB
The Science of Synthesis Early Career Advisory Board (ECAB) is a 3-year program to help promote young talented chemists. Learn more about the members of our current SOS ECAB.