Scott Miller

Research 

Complex molecule synthesis is one of the key disciplines of modern chemical research. The development of new methods for the synthesis and derivatization of such structures is a multi-dimensional activity involving reaction design, development, and application. Research in our group focuses on each of these aspects of chemical synthesis. Utilizing the architecture and design principles presented by biologically relevant structures and processes, we seek to discover new reactions and to apply new principles to the selective synthesis of complex molecules.

As part of this program, we bring to bear the full arsenal of modern synthetic chemistry. Employing rational design, combinatorial screening and a constantly evolving collective intuition, we are working to discover new chemical transformations that enable the rapid synthesis of stereochemically complex structures. In addition, we are investigating the development of new catalysts for the selective functionalization of these molecules.

A particular interest is in the catalytic modification of natural products. These studies are enabling access to an expansive set of biologically inspired natural product analogs. A key component of all of this work is the determination of the fundamental molecular interactions that are responsible for reaction selectivities. As a result, mechanistic analysis is at the heart of many of our studies.

Education

B.A./M.A. Harvard University, 1989
Ph.D. Harvard University, 1994
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, California Institute of Technology, 1994-96

Honors

• Research Innovation Award, Research Corporation, 1998
• NSF CAREER Award, 1999
• Cottrell Scholar Award of Research Corporation, 1999
• Eli Lilly Grantee, 1999
• Novartis Chemistry Lectureship Award, 1999
• DuPont Young Professor Award, 2000
• Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 2000
• Glaxo-Wellcome Chemistry Scholar Award, 2000
• Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, 2000
• Merck Chemistry Council Grants, 2000-2007
• Pfizer Award for Creativity in Organic Chemistry, 2003
• Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, American Chemical Society, 2004
• Robert Burns Woodward Visiting Scholar, Harvard University, 2005
• Boehringer-Ingelheim Cares Foundation Award, 2006
• Yoshimasa Hirata Memorial Gold Medal, Nagoya University, 2009
• National Institutes of Health MERIT Award, 2011
• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2012 
• Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 2016
• Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2016
• Max Tishler Prize, Harvard University, 2017 
• Fellow of the American Chemical Society, 2018
• Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Invitational Fellowship for Research, 2019
• Member, National Academy of Sciences, 2020

Representative Publications

A. K. Turek, M. H. Sak, S. J. Miller. Kinetic Analysis of a Cysteine-Derived Thiyl-Catalyzed Asymmetric Vinylcyclopropane Cycloaddition Reflects Numerous Attractive Noncovalent Interactions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 16173-16183.

J. Hwang, B. Q. Mercado, S. J. Miller. Chirality-Matched Catalyst-Controlled Macrocyclization Reactions. PNAS. 2021, 118, e2113122118. 

Yuk-Cheung Chan, M. H. Sak, S. A. Frank, S. J. Miller. Tunable and Cooperative Catalysis for Enantioselective Pictet-Spengler Reaction with Varied Nitrogen-Containing Heterocyclic Carboxaldehydes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 24573-24581. ​

Y. Tang, S. J. Miller. Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Pyridyl Sulfoximines. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 9230-9235. ​

A. L. Featherston, Y. Kwon, M. M. Pompeo, O. D. Engl,  D. K. Leahy, S. J.  Miller. Catalytic Asymmetric and Stereodivergent Oligonucleotide Synthesis. Science. 2021, 371, 702-707.