Christopher Newton

Abstract

Helvetica Chimica ActaVolume 106, Issue 3 e202300007 Author ProfileFree Access Christopher Newton First published: 31 January 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/hlca.202300007AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Graphical Abstract I chose chemistry as a career because I always loved building things (born largely out of a Lego obsession as a child). The secret to being a successful scientist…I don't know about THE secret (nor what constitutes successful for that matter), but I am confident I wouldn't be where I am today without strong and effective mentorship. I only hope I can pay it forward. A key experience in my career was trying (and failing) to reproduce an old synthesis of 1,2-dinitroethylene. … Position: Assistant Professor, University of Georgia, Athens, USA E-mail: [email protected] Twitter – Homepage: www.newton-lab.org ORCID: 0000-0002-8962-5917 Education: 2009 BSc (Chemistry), Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand 2014 PhD with Michael Sherburn, Australian National University 2015–2018 Postdoc with Nicolai Cramer, EPFL, Switzerland 2018–2021 DECRA Fellow, University of Adelaide, Australia Research: Cycloaddition reactions, natural product synthesis Hobbies: According to my students it would be using ChemDraw… although I would argue enjoying good food, good wine, and watching live music. I chose chemistry as a career because I always loved building things (born largely out of a Lego obsession as a child). The secret to being a successful scientist… I don't know about THE secret (nor what constitutes successful for that matter), but I am confident I wouldn't be where I am today without strong and effective mentorship. I only hope I can pay it forward. A key experience in my career was trying (and failing) to reproduce an old synthesis of 1,2-dinitroethylene. The procedure required copious amounts of lead(II) nitrate, dinitrogen tetroxide, oxygen, ethylene, an open flame, and several dry ice/acetone baths. It's in those moments you gain a deep appreciation for the importance of developing user-friendly chemistry. A research group is successful, because of teamwork, comradery, diversity, creativity, inclusivity, hard work, high morale… the list goes on. I am incredibly lucky that my group has cultivated just such a working environment, largely of their own volition. It's now up to me not to mess it up! The biggest challenge facing my generation of scientists is administrative responsibilities (I kid, but still…). With my research, I want to achieve… I think the dream for many of us in the field is to develop chemistry that is adopted by industry for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials. Valuable advice from a more senior colleague at the beginning of my career was ‘create your own luck by trying everything'. It's all too easy to talk yourself out of running that next experiment. If I were not a scientist, I would likely be a (failed) author, for I initially intended to pursue creative writing at university. I celebrate success by socializing (drinking) with friends. I process failure by socializing (drinking) with friends. One of my achievements was to receive the inaugural Mander award from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. I was lucky enough to interact with the late Lew Mander on several occasions during my time as a PhD student (including boring him to sleep during a research seminar – a valuable lesson in audience engagement). Guaranteed to make me laugh is my research group (not always intentionally). In a spare hour I am often trawling through music blogs/websites/podcasts in search of new artists. My favorite way to spend a holiday is returning to New Zealand to spend quality time with friends and family. What I appreciate most about my friends is sharp wit. My favorite drink isa South Australian Shiraz (surprisingly easy to come by here in Athens, Georgia). My three top papers 1I. Dissanayake, J. D. Hart, E. C. Becroft, C. J. Sumby, C. G. Newton, ‘Bisketene Equivalents as Diels–Alder Dienes', J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 13328– 13333. 2C. G. Newton, S. L. Drew, A. L. Lawrence, A. C. Willis, M. N. Paddon-Row, M. S. Sherburn, ‘Pseudopterosin synthesis from a chiral cross-conjugated hydrocarbon through a series of cycloadditions', Nat. Chem. 2015, 7, 82– 86. 3C. G. Newton, D. N. Tran, M. D. Wodrich, N. Cramer, ‘One-Step Multigram-Scale Biomimetic Synthesis of Psiguadial B', Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 13776– 13780. Volume106, Issue3March 2023e202300007 ReferencesRelatedInformation