Tomas Fiala receives Spark Grant by the Swiss National Science Foundation

Branco Weiss Fellow Tomas Fiala has been awarded a Spark Grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The grant amounts to 100’000 CHF over the duration of one year. In his grant application, entitled “Selective Sulfation of Phenols Enabled by Supramolecular Catalysis”, Dr. Fiala proposed a novel mode of supramolecular catalysis with a macrocyclic compound called Bambusuril to achieve the selective sulfation of aromatic alcohols with high functional-group tolerance. If successful, the research would bring new concepts not only to supramolecular catalysis but could also inspire new designs of synthetic anion channels and transporters. At the practical level, the concept could enable smooth, one-step synthesis of drug metabolites containing aryl sulfates without the need for multi-step protection/deprotection sequences or total syntheses.

The aim of SNSF’s Spark is to fund the rapid testing or development of novel and unconventional scientific approaches, methods, theories, standards, and ideas, etc. It is designed for projects that show unconventional thinking and introduce a unique approach. The focus is on promising ideas of high originality for which preliminary data are not necessarily available (high-risk research).

See the project’s grant page

Read more about SNSF Spark