Prospective 2024 grad students: Reach out to learn more about our research and group culture! We look forward to showing y’all around UIUC and Chambana during visiting days!

Research in the Mirica Group uses inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and chemical biology to address important metal-mediated processes with energy, biological, and medical relevance. An interdisciplinary, problem-based approach will be employed for the synthesis and characterization of new organic and inorganic compounds, with the ultimate goal to address unsolved problems with broad implications to our society.

The pursued research projects include the synthesis and characterization of novel transition metal complexes that can mediate multi-electron redox processes relevant to energy applications and oxidative organic transformations. Targeted reactions include the aerobic oxidative C-C coupling of hydrocarbons catalyzed by high-valent late transition metal complexes, and catalytic oxidative C-H functionalization and C-C/C-heteroatom bond formation reactions using green oxidants.

In addition, we are investigating the role of transition metal ions in the aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and we develop bifunctional metal-binding and metal-containing bifunctional compounds as potential therapeutic and diagnostic agents for AD.

Read more about the Mirica Group’s Research and Publications