Event
CHBE Seminar: Benjamin Boyle, UMD
Friday, November 6, 2026
11:00 a.m.
Room 2108 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building
Patricia Lorenzana
301-405-1935
plorenza@umd.edu
"Selective functionalization of amines through benzoxazole activation."
Abstract: Our research program develops general strategies for the selective functionalization of inert chemical bonds to streamline synthesis and unlock new chemical space. We pursue methodology development through the lens of generality, aiming to use a single activation strategy to enable multiple bond-forming transformations. This talk will highlight our progress in selective β C–H functionalization of primary amines through radical and anionic intermediates using benzoxazole activators. This approach delivers exclusive regioselectivity in C–H functionalization regardless of other functionality present. We will also present initial results in C–N and C–C functionalization, demonstrating the versatility of benzoxazole activation as a general strategy.
Bio: Benjamin Boyle was raised in the Pacific Northwest, just outside Seattle, Washington. He received his B.A. in Chemistry from Whitman College in 2015. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research at Seattle Genetics on the preparation and purification of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for targeted cancer therapies. After graduation, he joined the company’s process chemistry group, where he worked on the synthesis of highly potent small molecules used as chemical warheads for ADCs.
In 2016, he began graduate studies in the Department of Chemistry at Colorado State University and earned his Ph.D. in 2021 under the supervision of Prof. Andrew McNally. His doctoral research focused on the selective functionalization of electron-deficient heteroaromatics, such as pyridines. He then joined the laboratory of Prof. David MacMillan at Princeton University as a postdoctoral researcher, where he developed strategies to access carbene intermediates through metallaphotoredox catalysis.
Since 2024, he has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, College Park. His research program focuses on the manipulation and activation of inert chemical bonds in amines and amine derivatives.
