allegra liberman-martinCongratulations to Dr. Allegra Liberman-Martin for receiving a grant from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund! The Undergraduate New Investigator Grant provides funds for scientists who are beginning independent careers in academia and have limited or no preliminary results for a research project they wish to pursue.

Dr. Liberman-Martin’s project is called “Carbodiphosphoranes as Organocatalysts for Carbodiimide and Isocyanate Reduction.” The grant funds a research project using electron-rich carbon compounds as metal-free catalysts to develop new nitrogen-containing compounds. These compounds are prevalent in pharmaceutical and agrochemical applications, and they hope to create methods that can improve the sustainability, efficiency, and safety of chemical processes. Four undergraduate Chapman students will be working full-time on this project between summer 2021 and summer 2023. 

Dr. Liberman-Martin said, “I’m honored to receive the ACS PRF grant, which will provide an opportunity to develop a broad research program investigating the synthesis and catalytic use of electron-rich carbon catalysts. This grant will [also] provide opportunities for four Chapman undergraduates to participate in summer research opportunities.” 

We are so proud of Dr. Liberman-Martin and their team! If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Liberman-Martin’s research, they will be the next Science Forum speaker on Wednesday, November 11. Event Details here. You can also reach out to them at libermanmartin@chapman.edu.