MSc (with honors) and PhD (Cum Laude) from the University of Utrecht (NL). In 2002 he moved to Spain as a NWO TALENT fellow with Javier de Mendoza, followed by another postdoc at the University of Amsterdam (NL) working with Joost Reek. He also held various scientific positions in industry at Avantium and Hexion. In 2006, he returned to Spain as an ICREA Researcher and ICIQ Group Leader, and was promoted to ICREA Research Professor in 2011. He is current member of several advisory (ChemCatChem, JCOU, ASC Sust Chem Engin) and editorial boards (ChemSusChem). Guest editorships for Catal. Sci. & Technol., ChemSusChem and Adv. Synth. Catal.; chairman of the CDCC conference in Portugal in 2016, chair of the EUGSC-4 conference in 2019; Associate Editor for Organic Chemistry Frontiers. Citations >17000, h-index of around 72. He received the 2020 RSEQ Excellence Award, became a FRSC in 2021, and was awarded the 2023 SCQ Excellence Award and the 2023 European Sustainable Chemistry Award.
Research interests
The research of my group focuses on the valorization of small molecules (including CO2) into value-added chemicals and materials. We design new and more sustainable catalytic methods for their conversion and use in organic synthesis. We use homogeneous catalysis approaches based on metal complexes and/or organocatalysts, and investigate important process features such as catalyst recycling, energy/material efficiencies and overall selectivity/reactivity profiles. In all these endeavors, we wish to solve challenging stereoselective and enantioselective transformations including those focusing on the preparation of compounds featuring challenging quaternary stereocenters.
Selected publications
- Li X, Benet-Buchholz J, Escudero-Adán EC & Kleij AW 2023, 'Silver-Mediated Cascade Synthesis of Functionalized 1,4-dihydro-2H-Benzo-1,3-Oxazin-2-Ones from Carbon Dioxide', Angewandte Chemie-international Edition, 62, 11, e202217803.
- Garcia-Roca A, Perez-Soto R, Stoica G, Benet-Buchholz J, Maseras F & Kleij AW 2023, 'Comprehensive Mechanistic Scenario for the Cu-Mediated Asymmetric Propargylic Sulfonylation Forging Tertiary Carbon Stereocenters', Journal Of The American Chemical Society, 145, 11, 6442-6452.
- Zeng Q, Gao F, Benet-Buchholz J & Kleij AW. 2023, 'Stereoselective Three-Component Allylic Alkylation Enabled by Dual Photoredox/Ni Catalysis', Acs Catalysis, 13, 11, 7514 - 7522.
- Ghorai D, Garcia-Roca A, Toth BL, Benet-Buchholz J & Kleij AW 2023, 'Ni-Catalyzed Regio- and Enantioselective Homoallylic Coupling: Synthesis of Chiral Branched 1,5-Dienes Featuring a Quaternary Stereogenic Center and Mechanistic Analysis', Angewandte Chemie-international Edition, 62, 50, e202314865.
- Lamparelli DH, Grimaldi I, Martinez-Carrion A, Bravo F & Kleij AW 2023, 'Supercritical CO2 as an Efficient Medium for Macromolecular Carbonate Synthesis through Ring-Opening Co- and Teroligomerization', Acs Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 11, 22, 8193 - 8198.
Selected research activities
Received the Scientific Excellence Award from the Catalan Chemical Society (SCQ), 2023
Received the European Sustainable Chemistry Award (ESCA), 2023
Scientific coordinator of the HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN-JD (joint doctoral network) “D-Carbonize”, 2023
Advisory board member for Sustainable Chemistry for the Environment (Elsevier), 2023
Plenary lecture at the 6th EuChemS Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry (Salerno, Italy)
Keynote lecture at the 1st International Workshop of Green Chemistry, Cartagena (Murcia, Spain)
Panel 11 member at the DFG for the program on the Clusters of Excellence 2023