Professor Varinder Aggarwal
B.A., Ph.D.(Cantab.), F.R.S.
Current positions
Alfred Capper Pass Chair of Chemistry
School of Chemistry
Contact
Press and media
Many of our academics speak to the media as experts in their field of research. If you are a journalist, please contact the University’s Media and PR Team:
Research interests
My research interests include; the development of new catalytic processes for asymmetric synthesis; the development of chiral carbenoids and their use and subsequent applications in catalysis and synthesis; the development of new methodology and its applications in synthesis; total synthesis of biologically important targets.
Professor Aggarwal is a supervisor in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Chemical Synthesis
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Synthesis of tetrasubtituted alkenes using organoboron chemistry
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of ChemistryDates
01/06/2025 to 31/05/2028
Conformation, Automation and Applications of Polyborons in Synthesis
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of ChemistryDates
01/10/2023 to 30/09/2028
PROTACs as a novel approach to target tyrosine kinases for degradation in human platelets
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of ChemistryDates
01/10/2023 to 30/09/2026
Hong Chen Shen MSCA PF: Asymmetric Carboamination of Alkenylboronates
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of ChemistryDates
01/06/2023 to 31/05/2025
Catalysis
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of ChemistryDates
01/08/2022 to 31/07/2024
Thesis supervisions
Lithiation and Borylation of Secondary O- and S- Substituted Hindered Benzoates
Supervisors
Investigations Towards the Synthesis and Reactivity of 1,2-Bis(Boronic Esters) and its Application Towards the Total Synthesis of Bahamaolide A
Supervisors
Synthesis of Borylated Cyclobutanes via a Strain-Release 1,2-Metallate Rearrangement
Supervisors
Iridium Catalyzed Stereospecific 1,2-Migration/Allylation of Alkynyl Boronate Complex
Supervisors
Design, Synthesis and Characterisation of Novel Linker Chains under Conformational Control for PROTAC Drug Discovery
Supervisors
The development of strain-release-driven transformations
Supervisors
Synthesis of Functionalised Cyclopropanes from Carboxylic Acids via a Radical Addition–Polar Cyclisation Cascade
Supervisors
Boronic ester functionalisations for the automated synthesis of natural products
Supervisors
Lithiation-Borylation Methodology: New Classes of Metal Carbenoid Precursors for the Iterative Homologation of Boronic Esters
Supervisors
Lithiation—Borylation Methodology
Supervisors
Organolithium-mediated assembly of five-membered rings bearing contiguous stereocentres
Supervisors
New Developments in Organoboron Incorporation, Homologation and Functionalization
Supervisors
Total Synthesis of Complex Polyketide Natural Products Using Stereospecific Homologation of Boronic Pinacol Esters
Supervisors
Stereospecific Synthesis of Enones from Boronic Esters and its Application in the Total Synthesis of 10-Deoxymethynolide
Supervisors
An iterative approach to the stereocontrolled total synthesis of bahamaolide A and mycapolyol E
Supervisors
Rearrangement-driven synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles, cyclobutanes and spirocycles
Supervisors
Photochemical approaches to the synthesis of highly functionalised cyclobutanes
Supervisors
Combining computational modelling, NMR spectroscopy and assembly-line synthesis for studying molecular conformations
Supervisors
Decarboxylative Radical Additions to Vinyl Boronic Esters
Supervisors
Photoinduced Deboronative Functionalization of 1,2-Bis-Boronic Esters & C(sp3)-H Functionalizations of Alkanes
Supervisors
Interrupted Zweifel Olefination
Supervisors
Investigations into the Use of Photoredox Catalysis for the Synthesis of Indoloazepinone Scaffolds
Supervisors
Receptors for High-Affinity Binding in Water
Supervisors
Boron-Assisted Synthesis of Conformationally Controlled Hydrocarbons
Supervisors
Ultra-High-Resolution NMR and Total Synthesis
Supervisors
The Synergy of Synthesis, Computation and NMR Spectroscopy to Design Conformationally Controlled α-Helix Mimetics
Supervisors
New Methods for the Homologation of Boronic Esters and Their Application in Synthesis
Supervisors
The lithiation–borylation reaction
Supervisors
The Effect of Synthetic Prostanoids on Platelet and Vascular Function
Supervisors
Photochemistry Enabled C(sp3)–H Borylation of Alkanes and Deboronative Coupling Enabled anti-Markovnikov Hydroalkylation of Unactivated Terminal Olefins
Supervisors
Application of In Situ Lithiation–Borylation in the Synthesis of Carbocyclic Boronic Esters and in Continuous Flow Reactions
Supervisors
Azabicyclo[1.1.0]butane in the strain-release-driven synthesis of functionalised azetidines
Supervisors
Mapping Synthetically Relevant Photochemical Pathways in Solution by Application of Transient Absorption Spectroscopy
Supervisors
Exploitation of highly strained rings in the development of photoredox-catalysed transformations
Supervisors
Part I. Synthesis of a Stable, Fluorinated Thromboxane A₂ Analogue and its Application as a Hapten for Monoclonal Antibody Generation. Part II. Difunctionalisation of C–C σ-bonds Enabled by Strained Boronate Complexes.
Supervisors
Publications
Recent publications
25/03/2026Boron-Mediated Hydroalkylation of Unactivated Olefins: An Anti-Markovnikov Approach to Congested Carbon Centers
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Breaking the ‘rule-of-five’ to access bridged bicyclic heteroaromatic bioisosteres
Nature Synthesis
Catalytic Asymmetric 1,2-Migration/Allylation of Alkynyl Boronate Complexes
Journal of the American Chemical Society
C-glycoside synthesis via radical cross-coupling of glycohydrazides
Nature
Iron-Photocatalyzed C(sp3)–H Phosphonylation of Alkanes
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
