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Contributed by Vittoria Valentine, ACS GCI
The ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable Ignition and Key Research Area Grants support innovative green chemistry projects in academia, connecting academic thought leaders with industry expertise. Meet the 2025 grant winners!
Ignition Grants
The GCIPR Grants team Ignition Grants program launched in 2016 to support high-risk, high-reward projects that aim to accelerate progress in green chemistry technologies by incentivizing innovation. Ignition grants currently provide recipients with $40,000 over six months. Award winners work closely with appropriate GCIPR members depending on the topic.
This year’s winners exemplify the spirit of innovation and sustainability. Their projects span cutting-edge catalysis, biocatalysis, and enzyme engineering, all aimed at transforming chemical synthesis for a greener future.
Melissa Ramirez – University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Project Title: Enantioselective Quaternary Carbon Center Synthesis via Cu-Catalyzed Dicarbofunctionalization of N-Tosylhydrazones
Ramirez’s research introduces a copper-catalyzed method for synthesizing quaternary carbon centers—key structures in bioactive molecules like hyperforin and communesin C. Unlike conventional approaches that rely on costly and less sustainable metals such as rhodium or palladium, this method uses copper for its low toxicity and environmental benefits. By converting ketones into complex molecules through N-tosylhydrazone intermediates and allenyl Cu species, the project aims to create a versatile platform for drug discovery using both experimental and computational techniques.
Soumitra Athavale – UCLA
Project Title: Asymmetric, Biocatalytic Reduction of Unactivated Olefins
Athavale’s project seeks to redefine biocatalytic hydrogenation by enabling the asymmetric reduction of unactivated olefins—reactions currently inaccessible to traditional enzymes. Using a novel radical-based mechanism called biocatalytic cooperative metal-mediated hydrogen atom transfer (BioHAT), the team will evolve thermostable heme proteins to perform these transformations. The work focuses on engineering protoglobins and other heme scaffolds to create a library of iron-based biocatalysts that operate in water under ambient conditions, offering a sustainable alternative to hazardous metal-catalyzed processes.
Philipp Gemmel – Trinity College
Project Title: Enzyme-Mediated Protecting Group Chemistry: Site-Selective Deprotection of Benzylic Ethers
Gemmel’s research explores the use of fungal unspecific peroxygenases (UPOs) for selective benzyl ether deprotection—a critical step in organic synthesis. By applying ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR), the team will develop a library of UPOs that are expressible in E. coli, enabling high-throughput screening and engineering. The goal is to selectively deprotect benzyl-protected prochiral diols and sugars, replacing traditional metal-based methods with biocatalysts that function in mild, aqueous conditions. This approach promises improved regioselectivity and reduced environmental impact.
Kyle Lambert – Old Dominion University
Project Title: Advancing Operationally Simple and Green Methods for Cobalt-Mediated Carbonyl Additions and Cross-Couplings
Lambert’s project focuses on developing sustainable carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions using bench-stable cobalt(III) complexes. These methods aim to replace expensive and toxic metals with earth-abundant cobalt in green solvent systems like isopropanol and water. The research includes creating a publishable protocol for allylation and arylation of ketones and aldehydes, and developing an asymmetric version using chiral BINOL-type ligands. This work not only advances green chemistry but also provides valuable training in organometallic and computational chemistry.
Key Focus Area Grants
Each year, the roundtable's member companies select four targeted research areas that represent the industry’s perspective on where advances in understanding would be most likely to yield more sustainable chemistries and processes of interest to pharma and allied industries. From these areas, the GCIPR selects a handful each year for Key Research Area Grants. The grants are currently an $80,000 award for a 12-month research commitment. Grant winners work closely with the GCIPR focus team, which proposed the grant topic.
The 2025 Key Research Area Grant recipients are tackling complex problems in biocatalysis, catalysis, peptide synthesis, and process engineering, each with the potential to reshape how pharmaceuticals are made.
Advancing biocatalysis methodologies
Alison Narayan – University of Michigan
Project Title: Stereoselective Biocatalytic C–C Bond Formation for 1,2-Amino Alcohol Synthesis
Narayan’s project expands the capabilities of PLP-dependent enzymes to synthesize 1,2-amino alcohols from abiological amine substrates, structures commonly found in pharmaceuticals. Traditionally limited to α-amino acid substrates, these enzymes are now being engineered to accept N-heterocycles and allylic amines. The team will use directed evolution and ancestral sequence reconstruction to broaden substrate compatibility and develop a two-enzyme biocatalytic sequence for direct conversion of allylic amines. This work promises greener alternatives to traditional allylation methods and a new suite of enzymes for complex molecule synthesis.
Sustainable organic catalysis
Rachel Baker – Queen’s University
Project Title: Thinking Inside the Box: Designing Sustainable Electrochemical Cells for Alcohol Oxidation
Baker’s research proposes a fully integrated electrochemical system for alcohol oxidation, replacing toxic oxidants and metal catalysts with biodegradable protein nanofiber (PNF) electrodes and a CO₂-switchable water (CSW) electrolyte. This system enables selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones using only electrons as the oxidant. The project includes developing PNF electrodes, optimizing CSW electrolytes, and integrating both into a functional cell. Mechanistic studies will guide refinement, and the work is supported by a multidisciplinary team. The approach aligns with multiple green chemistry principles and could significantly reduce the environmental impact of oxidation reactions.
New methods or strategies for greener peptide synthesis and /or purification
Qilei Zhu – University of Utah
Project Title: Electrocatalytic Amide Synthesis via Phosphine-Mediated Electrochemistry
Zhu’s project aims to develop a sustainable, fully electrocatalytic method for amide synthesis by activating carboxylic acids through phosphine-mediated electrochemistry. This eliminates the need for stoichiometric reagents and harsh conditions. The team will explore strategies to enable mild electrochemical reduction of phosphine oxides using structural modifications and benign Lewis acids like Ca²⁺ and Li⁺. Advanced techniques, including cyclic voltammetry, NMR, and machine learning-guided catalyst design, will be used to identify effective systems. The result will be a scalable, green platform for amide and ester synthesis with broad applications in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
New technologies for efficient manufacturing processes
Leah Spangler – Virginia Commonwealth University
Project Title: Development of a Low-Cost, Continuous Bioreactor and Process for the Production of Peptide Therapeutics
Spangler’s research addresses the environmental and scalability challenges of peptide production by developing a novel continuous bioreactor system. Unlike traditional solid-phase synthesis or batch recombinant expression, this system uses living cells housed in a radial media disc to continuously secrete peptides. This reduces intracellular concentration, prevents fibril formation, and allows nutrient recycling. The project will engineer E. coli for improved secretion, quantify production rates, and optimize purification and media reuse. The result is a sustainable, high-yield alternative for peptide manufacturing with reduced cost and environmental impact.
The 2025 Key Research Area Grant recipients are tackling some of the most complex and impactful challenges in green chemistry. These projects reflect GCIPR’s commitment to innovation, where industry-defined needs meet academic ingenuity. Together with the Ignition Grant recipients, these researchers are advancing the frontiers of sustainable science, offering new tools, methods, and pathways that will shape the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing.