Jan Streuff

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Academic Career

since 2021: Professor of Organic Chemistry, Uppsala University, Sweden
2015–2020: Private Lecturer (Privatdozent) and Heisenberg-Fellow, Freiburg University, Germany
2010–2015: Habilitand and Liebig-Fellow, Freiburg University, Germany
2008–2009: Postdoc with Brian M. Stoltz at Caltech, Pasadena, USA
2005–2008: Doctoral research with Kilian Muñiz, Bonn University, Germany and Strasbourg University, France
2000–2005: Chemistry studies and diploma research (with K. Muñiz), Bonn University, Germany

University Degrees

2021: Professor of Organic Chemistry, Uppsala University
2015: Habilitation in Organic Chemistry (venia legendi), Freiburg University
2008: Docteur en Chimie (doctoral degree), Strasbourg University
2005: Diploma in Chemistry, Bonn University

Selected Awards and Distinctions

2018: Eugen-Graetz-Prize of the University of Freiburg
2015: Heisenberg-Fellowship of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
2015: Dozentenpreis of the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie
2014: ADUC Award for Habilitands
2013: Dr. Otto-Röhm Award of the Dr. Otto Röhm Memorial Foundation
2012: Thieme Chemistry Journal Award
2010: Liebig Fellowship of the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie

Extended scientific biography

Jan was born in Leverkusen in 1980 and grew up in a small town in the east of Leverkusen, Germany. After finishing high school, he studied chemistry at the University of Bonn where he took the opportunity to spend three months at La Laguna University (Tenerife, Spain) for a research internship with José-Juan Marrero Tellado. He then joined the group of Kilian Muñiz, who was a young habilitand at that time, for his diploma thesis on stoichiometric diamination reactions with stoichiometric osmium reagents. Afterwards, he stayed with Kilian for his doctoral research and moved with his group to Strasbourg (France) where he received is doctoral degree in chemistry in 2008. During this time, he developed a series of catalytic Pd- and Ni-catalyzed diamination reactions of non-activated alkenes together with Claas Hövelmann and Ana Nuñez who joined the group in Strasbourg. Jan also investigated N-H activation and transfer reactions with Ru-, Rh-, Ir-transfer hydrogenation complexes, which were further studied by Anton Lishchynskyi and published several years later. After his PhD, he joined the group of Brian Stolz at Caltech (Pasadena, USA) where he worked on Pd-catalyzed allylic alkylation reactions. He took over a project from David White, a former postdoc, dealing with the asymmetric trapping of allyl-Pd-enolates with external electrophiles. In 2010, Jan then followed the invitation by Bernhard Breit and his colleagues at Freiburg University (Germany) to carry out his habilitation at their Institute. After having focused on oxidation catalysis and redox-neutral carbon-carbon bond forming reactions with late transition metals, he switched gears and started his independent career by investigating reductive transformations with low-valent titanium catalysts and their application in synthesis. His other research interests are in-depth studies of complex reaction mechanisms, computational investigations, and the design and synthesis of novel metallocene catalysts. Recently, his group has been working on novel concepts for bond cleavage and defunctionalization reactions enabled by early transition metal catalysts. In 2020 Jan received a call from Uppsala University and joined the faculty in 2021 as Professor of Organic Chemistry.

Current Research Topics

• Catalyst-Controlled Radical Reactions and Reductive Umpolung Reactions
• Homogeneous Catalyzed Cleavage of Molecular Frameworks and Defunctionalizations
• Design of Novel Metallocene Catalysts
• Synthesis of Heterocyclic Building Blocks and Natural Products
• Detailed Mechanistic Studies of Complex Catalysis Systems

Selected Publications

"Zirconium Catalyzed Remote Defunctionalization of Alkenes" C. Matt, C. Kern, J. Streuff,* ACS Catal. 2020, 10, 6409–6413.

"Titanium(III) Catalyzed Reductive Decyanation of Geminal Dinitriles by a Non-Free Radical Mechanism" J. Weweler, Sara L. Younas, J. Streuff,* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 17700–17703. (open access)

"A Unified Approach to Customized Chiral Carbon‐Bridged ansa‐Metallocenes" S. Wiesler, M. A. Bau, S. L. Younas, H.-T. Luu, D. Kratzert, J. Streuff,* Chem. Eur. J. 2018, 24, 16532–16536.

"Catalytic Reductive Synthesis and Direct Derivatization of Unprotected Aminoindoles, Aminopyrroles, and Iminoindolines" L. H. Leijendekker, J. Weweler, T. M. Leuther, J. Streuff,* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 6103–6106.

"Mechanism of the TiIII-Catalyzed Acyloin-Type Umpolung: A Catalyst-Controlled Radical Reaction" J. Streuff,* M. Feurer, G. Frey, A. Steffani, S. Kacprzak, J. Weweler, L. H. Leijendekker, D. Kratzert, D. A. Plattner, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015,137, 14396–14405.

"A Titanium(III)-Catalyzed Reductive Umpolung Reaction for the Synthesis of 1,1-Disubstituted Tetrahydroisoquinolines" H.-T. Luu, S. Wiesler, G. Frey, J. Streuff,* Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 2478–2481.

"Enantioselective Titanium(III)-Catalyzed Reductive Cyclization of Ketonitriles" J. Streuff,* M. Feurer, P. Bichovski, G. Frey, U. Gellrich, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 8661–8664.

"A Titanium(III)-Catalyzed Redox Umpolung Reaction for the Reductive Cross-Coupling of Enones with Acrylonitriles", J. Streuff, Chem. Eur. J. 2011, 17, 5507–5510.