Director of Research
In the Ley Group, we specialise in developing new synthesis methods and applying them to the construction of biologically important molecules. Over the years we have completed the total synthesis of many natural products, including: spongistatin 1 (anti-mitotic agent); rapamycin (immunosuppressant); thapsigargin (SERCA pumps inhibitor); azadirachtin (insect antifeedant); and bengazole A (fungicide). In addition to our research on natural product synthesis, we also pioneered flow chemistry and machine assisted synthesis.
For more detailed research information and our publication list, please see our legacy group website.
Completed Natural Products

Publications
Exploring the chemical space of phenyl sulfide oxidation by automated optimization
Reaction Chemistry & Engineering
(2023)
8
538
(doi: 10.1039/d2re00552b)
Multicomponent Direct Assembly of N-Heterospirocycles Facilitated by Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysis.
Journal of Organic Chemistry
(2022)
87
13204
(doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.2c01684)
Automated multi-objective reaction optimisation: which algorithm should I use?
Reaction Chemistry & Engineering
(2022)
7
987
(doi: 10.1039/d1re00549a)
Photoredox-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Csp3–Csp2 Cross-Coupling of Alkylarenes to Aldehydes in Flow
J Org Chem
(2021)
86
13559
(doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.1c01621)
Formation and utility of reactive ketene intermediates under continuous flow conditions
Tetrahedron: the international journal for the rapid publication of full original research papers and critical reviews in organic chemistr
(2021)
93
132305
(doi: 10.1016/j.tet.2021.132305)
CLICK-enabled analogues reveal pregnenolone interactomes in cancer and immune cells.
Iscience
(2021)
24
102485
(doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102485)
A Comment on Continuous Flow Technologies within the Agrochemical Industry
Organic Process Research and Development
(2021)
25
713
(doi: 10.1021/acs.oprd.0c00534)
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