Neil Garg

Neil K. Garg
Neil Garg is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA.
Born (1978-12-18) December 18, 1978 (age 45)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materNYU (B.S., 2000)
California Institute of Technology (Ph.D., 2005)
AwardsDavid A. Evans Award, Robert Foster Cherry Award, Elias J. Corey Award, Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, Mukaiyama Award, RSC Horizon Prize
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
Doctoral advisorBrian M. Stoltz
Other academic advisorsMarc Walters (Undergraduate, NYU); Larry Overman (Postdoc, UC Irvine)
Websitehttps://garg.chem.ucla.edu

Neil K. Garg is currently a Distinguished professor of chemistry and holds the Kenneth N. Trueblood Endowed Chair at the University of California, Los Angeles.[1][2]

Garg's research is focused on the chemical synthesis of organic compounds, with an emphasis on the development of new strategies to prepare complex molecules possessing unique structural, biological, and physical properties. His group challenges long-standing paradigms of reactivity. He has made breakthroughs in catalysis, especially strong bond activation of esters and amides using nickel catalysts, and in the understanding and utilization of strained intermediates, such as arynes, cyclic alkynes, and cyclic allenes. His laboratory has completed the total syntheses of many natural products, including welwitindolinones, akuammilines, tubingensin alkaloids, and lissodendoric acid A.[3] In 2020, Garg co-Founded ElectraTect, Inc.[4]

Garg is also a prominent educator and has received many accolades for his classroom teaching, including the Cherry Award.[5] He has inspired a series of student-created music videos[6] to encourage students to learn organic chemistry. He has led other projects, such as the Organic Coloring Book series,[7] The O-Chem (Re)-Activity Book,[8] the Backside Attack smartphone app,[9] QR Chem,[10] RS Chemistry,[11] Virtual Reality Chemistry,[12] ChemMatch,[13][14] Biology And Chemistry Online Notes (BACON).[15] and #MentorFirst.[16][17] In 2023, Garg created a successful summer camp called Chem Kids to teach organic chemistry to children.[18]

  1. ^ "Neil K. Garg". ucla.edu. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  2. ^ "About Neil". Garg Lab. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  3. ^ "Publications". Garg Lab. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  4. ^ "ElectraTect". Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  5. ^ "How did organic chemistry become so beloved at UCLA? Professor Neil Garg is glad you asked". UCLA. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  6. ^ "Garg Music Video Hall of Fame". Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  7. ^ "The Organic Coloring Book". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  8. ^ "The O-Chem (Re)-Activity Book". Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  9. ^ "Backside Attack". iTunes. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  10. ^ "QR Chem". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  11. ^ "R/S Chemistry". rschemistry.com. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  12. ^ "VRChem". Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  13. ^ "ChemMatch". Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  14. ^ "UCLA researchers seek to inspire love for chemistry with educational website". Daily Bruin. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  15. ^ "Biology And Chemistry Online Notes". Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  16. ^ "#MentorFirst". Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  17. ^ Ippoliti, Francesca M.; Chari, Jason V.; Garg, Neil K. (May 11, 2022). "Advancing global chemical education through interactive teaching tools". Chemical Science. 13 (20): 5790–5796. doi:10.1039/D2SC01881K. PMC 9132018. PMID 35685782.
  18. ^ "Organic chem for kids? UCLA program immerses youngsters in notoriously challenging subject". UCLA. Retrieved 2024-07-28.