Research Sketch

The development of new reaction methodologies has been crucial to understanding chemical reactivity and, as a result, our current ability to synthesize complex organic molecules from simple feedstocks. Since its inception, the Lawrence Research Laboratory at Morehouse College has focused on this challenge as it relates to cross-cutting areas in natural products synthesis, materials science, and reaction catalysis.

Biography

Dr. Brian Lawrence is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Morehouse College where he has been a member of the faculty since Fall 2006. He received his B.S. Chemistry, with Honors, from the University of California at Berkeley and A.M./Ph.D. Chemistry from Harvard University. Prior to joining the faculty at Morehouse, he was employed as a Senior Research Scientist at ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he spearheaded novel synthetic and purification methods for exploratory therapies targeting drugs to the bone matrix. Dr. Lawrence serves as Chair of the Herty Medalist Undergraduate Research Symposium, a poster session of presentations by undergraduates involved in chemical research from local colleges and universities in the State of Georgia. Recently, his research has focused on the development of new methods for the modular synthesis of small molecule compounds, including natural products.