Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry (PHC)

Alan Aitken is a Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of St Andrews, UK. Much of his research activity has been in the area of heterocyclic chemistry and he has been active in the International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry, attending all but two of their biennial congresses since 1985, contributing an annual review chapter to Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry since 1990 and being an elected member of their International Advisory Committee 1997–99 and 2011–17. Since 2018, he has been a member of the Executive Committee and Publicity Chair for ISHC.

Justin grew up in Clifton, New Jersey and obtained a dual B. S. in Chemistry and Biology from Muhlenberg College in Allentown Pennsylvania. His Ph.D. studies were conducted at Dartmouth College in the laboratory of Prof. Gordon Gribble with a focus on heterocyclic chemistry and the synthesis of indole-containing natural products. He completed postdoctoral work on the synthesis of diterpenoid natural products and strain-release functionalization at The Scripps Research Institute under the guidance of Prof. Phil Baran. Justin began his independent career at Moffitt Cancer Center where his group focuses on the development of new methods for C–C, C–N, and C–S bond formation, the design of new covalent reactive groups, the total synthesis of bioactive natural products, and the structure-based drug design of small molecule inhibitors and PROTACS.