Thomas Lectka

Education and Employment:

2012-present - Jean and Norman Scowe Professor of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University

2002-2012 - Professor of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University

1999-2002 - Associate Professor of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University

1994-1999 - Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University

1992-1994 - National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Univerity (studied with Professor David A. Evans)

1991-1992 - Alexander  von Humboldt  Postdoctoral Fellow, Universität Heidelberg (studied with Professor Rolf Gleiter)

1991 - Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Cornell University (studied with Professor John E. McMurry)

1985 - B.A. with Highest Honors in Chemistry, Oberlin College

Research Experience:

1994-present Johns Hopkins: new catalytic, asymmetric reactions; enantioselective  reactions of imines, quinones and amides catalyzed by chiral Lewis acids and nucleophiles (e.g. catalytic, asymmetric synthesis of β-lactams, nonnatural α- and β-amino acids); transition-metal catalyzed amide isomerization and peptide folding; enantioselective  halogenation; asymmetric  catalysis on sequentially-linked columns leading to “synthesis machines;” cooperative asymmetric catalysis; the chemistry of [C-F-C] fluoronium ions; metal-catalyzed aliphatic fluorination; medicinal chemistry of fluorinated molecules; site-selective aliphatic fluorination; close C-F----functional group interactions

1992-1994 Harvard: studies in asymmetric catalysis of the Diels-Alder reaction using bisoxazoline and bisimine Lewis acid complexes

1991-1992 Heidelberg: photoelectron spectroscopy; MO theory

1986-1991 Cornell: the design, synthesis, and study of stable carbocations with three-center, two-electron [C-H- C] bonds;  alkane  protonolysis   leading  to  stoichiometric   hydrogen   evolution;   MO  theory  of  three-center bonding; titanium promoted carbonyl coupling reactions

Honors and Awards:

2024                                      ACS Arthur C. Cope Late Career Scholar

2018                                       Dean’s Award for Outstanding Teaching, Johns Hopkins

2017                                       ACS Maryland Chemist of the Year

2003-2004                           John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellow

2002                                      Merck Faculty Development Award

2000                                     Alfred Sloan Foundation Fellow

1999                                      Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award

1999                                      DuPont Young Investigator Award

1998                                      NSF Career Award

1998                                      Eli Lilly Young Investigator Grantee

1997                                      NIH First Award

1994                                      American Cancer Society New Faculty Grant

1992-1994                            National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow

1991-1992                             Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship for Study in Germany

1988-1989                           ACS Organic Chemistry Division Graduate Fellowship

1988-1990                           Wentink Award for Graduate Student of the Year, Cornell University

1985                                     Graduate with Highest Honors in Chemistry, Oberlin College

Committee Work:

Chairman, Graduate Admissions Committee 2008-2017; Member 2020-present

Departmental Undergraduate Curriculum Committee 2017-present

Departmental Space Committee 2017-present

ACS Fluorine Division Executive Committee 2020-present

Recent Honorary/Plenary Lectureships:

2021                              Plenary Lecturer, Winter Fluorine Conference

2018                              University of Orléans Fluorine Symposium Plenary Lecturer

2018                              University of Oxford Fluorine Symposium Plenary Lecturer

2017                              ACS Maryland Chemist of the Year Honorary Lecturer

2017                              ACS Southeast Regional Meeting Fluorine Symposium Plenary Lecturer

2016                             Dartmouth Fluorine Symposium Plenary Lecturer

2008                            ACS Special Lecturer Muhlenberg College

2004                            Baker Lecturer, Cornell University

2003                            Eli Lilly Lecturer, Harvard University

2002                            Wyeth Chemical Sciences Symposium Honorary Lecturer

Recent Community Service:

Member, NSF Review Panels, 2018-2021

Chair, Graduate Admissions, Chemistry Department 2008-2017

Member, University Honors Council 1998-2005

Member, NIH SBCA Study Section 2008-2012

Ad Hoc Member, NIH SSS-B Study Section 2001, 2003-2004, 2005

Ad Hoc Member, NIH Med Chem Study Section 2001-2002

Member, NSF Career Panel, 2001-2002

Member, NIH Panel for HTS Centers, 2005

Teaching Experience:

Introductory Organic Chemistry, Johns Hopkins (1 time, 030.205; 12 times 030.206) Spectroscopic Methods of Structure Determination, Johns Hopkins (8 times, 030.441) Computational Organic Chemistry, Johns Hopkins (2 times, 030.637)

Summer Program in Computational Organic Chemistry, Johns Hopkins (2 times) Advanced Organic Synthesis II, Johns Hopkins (4 times, 030.678)

Advanced Organic Synthesis I (5 times, 030.677) Stereochemistry and Asymmetric Synthesis (2 times, 030.678) Catalysis in Chemistry (3 times, 030.639)

Intermediate Organic Laboratory (4 times, 030.228) Advanced Organic Chemistry (3 times, 030.212)

Honors Organic Chemistry (3 times, 030.212)