Dr Oluwarotimi Ojo
- Lecturer in Organic Chemistry (School of Chemistry)
telephone:
6334
email:
Oluwarotimi.Ojo@glasgow.ac.uk
Room C5-20, Joseph Black Building, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3514-3744Biography
Oluwarotimi was born in Nigeria and raised in Manchester, UK. He obtained his
- AS/A2 Level (The Manchester College, Manchester, UK)
Chemistry, Biology, Maths and Further Maths (September 2003 – July 2005). Followed by
- MChem (Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK)
Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry. Industrial placement year at GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage (2007-2008). MedChem 4th year project with late Prof. Roger Griffin and Dr. Ian Hardcastle, 2008–2009. (September 2005 – July 2009). Design and synthesis of novel p53-MDM2 inhibitors. Then,
- Ph.D. (University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK)
Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Product Synthesis with Prof. P. Andrew Evans. September 2009 – May 2014.
The development of highly selective synthesis of cis-fused 5,5-bicyclic and cis-fused 5,7-bicyclic systems via rhodium(I)-catalysed [3+2] and [4+3] carbocyclisation reactions. And their application in total synthesis.
Post-Doctoral Experience
1. Research and Teaching Fellow in Organic Chemistry and Natural Product Synthesis. School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland, UK.
Development of a synthetic strategy that enabled the conversion of lignin-derived keto-alcohols to unnatural amino acids and natural product (Descurainolide A). The design and synthesis of novel anti-toxoplasma gondii inhibitors.
June 2014 – September 2016.
2. Research Associate in Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Expression (E. coli) and purification of novel 2xStrep-tag 1T8H and 1Z9T bacteria proteins. The mammalian expression and purification of a human LACC1 protein (aka FAMIN). Cell culture on HEK293T cells, DNA Cloning, western blotting, Gel electrophoresis, and protein engineering/directed evolution (mutation and deletion)
November 2016 – October 2018.
3. Senior Research Associate in Organic Chemistry and Natural Product Synthesis. School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
The design and synthesis of numerous novel ferrocene-based chiral ligands and transition-metal complexes. Development of a copper-catlysed conjugated reduction, kinetic solution and synthesis of a novel natural product.
January 2019 – August 2021
4. Research Associate in Organic Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry
Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
The design and synthesis of 16 novel small molecules for biological testing against Cryptoccocus neoformans (anti-fungus).
September 2021 – March 2022.
In April 2022, he was appointed as Lecturer in Organic Chemistry at the school of chemistry, University of Glasgow.
Research interests
Research Interests
1. Synthesis of Halogenated Metal-Binding Compounds (Siderophores)
The synthesis of high-affinity chelating molecules, produced by bacteria, that can coordinate with numerous transition metals. The most thoroughly described systems in bacteria involve iron regulation. Low molecular weight metabolites that chelate Fe(III) are known as siderophores. They are upregulated in Fe(III)-limited environments, which allows the organism to maintain suitable levels for biological processes including DNA and RNA synthesis and electron transfer. Numerous iron-complexing siderophores have been found to complex copper, zinc, cobalt, or other transition metals.
2. Synthesis of marine-derived antimicrobial compounds
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing problem in the UK and globally, therefore, the development of a range of novel antimicrobials will be a key challenge for the future. The outcome of this research will generate novel naturally occurring antimicrobials with direct action on Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa), Gram positive (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria and fungus (Candida albicans), for the treatment of infections and maintenance of health.
3. Design and synthesis of self-assembling nanomaterials.
The main aim of this work is to introduce a novel class of peptidomimetics, the β-metallocene peptides. β-Amino acid residues in the peptide chain can form foldamers, this has led to design of self-assembling nanomaterials.
