Dr. Mark D. Levin

Award Citation

For pioneering contributions to the development of skeletal editing, which enables the insertion or removal of a single atom into or from a completed molecular skeleton, providing a new strategy for organic synthesis

Biography

Education

• University of California, Berkeley　Ph.D. Chemistry, 2017
• University of Rochester　B.S. Chemistry, Summa cum Laude, 2012

Professional Appointments

• Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago (2025–)
• Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago (2022–2025)
• Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago (2019–2022)
• NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University (2017–2019)

Awards

• Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award for Organic Synthesis, 2027
• Brown Investigator Award, 2025
• Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, 2023
• Sloan Research Fellowship, 2022
• Packard Foundation Fellowship, 2021

and many others

Research Summary

In organic chemistry, it has been a long-standing challenge to remove a single atom from the central skeleton of a molecule or replace it with a different atom, whereas it is possible to replace substituents at the periphery of a molecule. In many cases, it is necessary to rebuild a molecule from starting materials to obtain a different skeleton. Dr. Levin has systematically pioneered the research field of “skeletal editing.” A nitrogen deletion reaction published in 2021 demonstrated the removal of a single nitrogen atom from a type of amine and the reconnection of the carbon atoms on either side of the nitrogen atom. The reagents required for this reaction are now commercially available. Subsequently, Dr. Levin developed a transformation in which carbon was replaced with nitrogen in an aromatic ring. This transformation has long been sought after but has been difficult to achieve in drug discovery. Editing targets have expanded to include skeletons containing oxygen and sulfur, making skeletal editing a major trend in synthetic organic chemistry.

Notes:
Skeletal editing: A group of reactions in which a single atom is removed, inserted, or replaced within an existing molecular skeleton.
Nitrogen deletion: A reaction in which a single nitrogen atom is removed from a molecule and the carbon atoms positioned on either side of the nitrogen atom are reconnected.

Selection Highlights

• Realized an innovative transformation that was previously considered difficult, wherein a completed molecular skeleton could be directly edited one atom at a time.
• Development of robust methodology that precisely controls each reaction, making it available to researchers worldwide and successfully popularizing the methodology.
• Presented a clear concept of “skeletal editing,” creating a new research field that has attracted many researchers.
• Realized a long-sought-after conversion for drug discovery, in which carbon is replaced with nitrogen in an aromatic ring, which has had a strong impact on related fields.