Abigail Doyle facts for kids

Abigail Gutmann Doyle is a leading professor of chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She holds a special position called the Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry. Her work focuses on finding and creating new ways to change chemicals. This is a very important part of Organic Chemistry.

About Abigail Doyle

Early Life and School

Abigail Doyle was born in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1980. Her parents are Michael W. Doyle and Amy Gutmann. Her mother, Amy Gutmann, was the president of the University of Pennsylvania and is now the United States Ambassador to Germany.

Abigail loved chemistry from a young age. She studied it at Harvard University. She earned two degrees there in 2002, both with very high honors.

After Harvard, she started her advanced studies with Professor Justin DuBois at Stanford University. She then completed her PhD with Professor Eric N. Jacobsen. During her PhD, she worked on creating special chemical reactions. These reactions could build molecules that were mirror images of each other. This is a field called Enantioselective synthesis.

Her Career as a Professor

In 2008, Dr. Doyle became a chemistry professor at Princeton University. She quickly moved up the ranks. By 2017, she was a full professor with a special endowed chair. This means her position was supported by a donation.

In 2021, she moved to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). There, she became the Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry.

What She Researches

Professor Doyle's research group works on exciting chemistry projects.

• Building New Molecules: One main area is using a metal called nickel to create new chemical bonds. They can make carbon-carbon bonds in new ways. This helps build complex molecules. They also find new ways to use nickel in reactions.
• Combining Chemistry Methods: Her team also works with another group led by David MacMillan. Together, they found a new way to combine two types of chemistry: photoredox and nickel catalysis. Photoredox uses light to start chemical reactions. This combination helps them make many different kinds of molecules.
• Adding Fluorine: Her group also works on adding fluorine atoms to molecules. Fluorine is important for making many medicines. They have found new ways to add fluorine gently and precisely.
• Using Computers in Chemistry: Recently, Professor Doyle's group has started using computers to help with chemistry. They use machine learning to predict how chemical reactions will turn out. This helps scientists design better experiments faster.

Awards and Honors

Abigail Doyle has received many important awards for her work. Some of these include:

• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2012)
• Amgen Young Investigator Award (2012)
• Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society (2014)
• Bayer Early Excellence in Science Award (2013)
• Phi Lambda Upsilon National Fresenius Award (2014)
• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE, 2014)
• BMS Unrestricted Grant in Synthetic Organic Chemistry (2016)

She is also a Senior Editor for a science journal called Accounts of Chemical Research.

See Also

In Spanish: Abigail Doyle para niños