Stony Brook University Assistant Professor Quinton J. Bruch recently received an Early CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his research on developing methods to control the selectivity of multifunctionalization reactions, which would enable production of complex valuable chemicals from simple inexpensive starting materials.
The award is bestowed upon early-career faculty who show promise as both researchers and educators, distinguished as up-and-coming professionals poised to advance the mission of their academic departments. As Early CAREER recipients, the professors will receive more than $2.7 million combined in grants to support their research.
Bruch, a member of the Department of Chemistry faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded $800,000. Multifunctionalization reactions involve multiple bond-breaking and making steps in a single reaction and can be used to rapidly increase the molecular complexity, and value, of abundant hydrocarbon feedstocks. However, poor selectivity in these transformations often leads to an unusable mixture of products. The research team under Bruch will investigate how specifically designed substrates can be used to address this challenge and develop clear rules for broad implementation.
“I am extremely grateful to receive an NSF CAREER award and very excited to pursue the unique combination of basic science and education goals that it supports,” said Bruch. “The CAREER will support our research efforts to understand the remote multifunctionalization of unsaturated hydrocarbons, a key challenge in converting abundant chemical feedstocks into more valuable fine chemicals such as pharmaceuticals or agrochemicals. This award will simultaneously support our educational work to improve technical skill development in junior researchers through a summer workshop series on molecular characterization techniques and via a hybrid workshop/conference to teach undergraduate researchers science communication skills as part of the Consortium for Undergraduate Research on Long Island.”
“Dr. Bruch has developed a highly active and innovative research program in molecular catalysis, specifically regarding Heck cascade reactions, with the idea of gaining key mechanistic and kinetic insights in this important area of inquiry,” said Stanislaus Wong, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry. “Moreover, Dr. Bruch’s proposed research seamlessly integrates into his educational work, starting with the Molecular Characterization Summer School (MCSS) he is piloting this summer to improve technical skill development in undergraduate and graduate researchers along with his efforts with the STEM2 Network and the Consortium for Undergraduate Research on Long Island (CURLI).”
“Congratulations to Dr. Bruch on this well‑deserved NSF CAREER Award,” said David Wrobel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. ”His innovative research on catalytic control in multifunctionalization reactions, in addition to his commitment to providing research opportunities for our students, epitomizes excellence in both scholarship and mentorship. We are excited to celebrate the impact of his work and the vibrant research environment he continues to build with his colleagues in the Department of Chemistry.”
Bruch joined Stony Brook University as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry in 2023 after serving as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow with Professor Alexander Radosevich at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, investigating how spectator organometallic fragments could be used to tune phosphorus catalysts.
His lab leverages synthetic, physical and analytical chemistry to interrogate (electro)catalytic reactions with the goal of demystifying the factors that control catalyst activity, selectivity and optimization. In turn, the lab will use these insights to develop predictive tools to guide catalyst design, reaction discovery and reaction optimization.
Bruch is one of four Stony Brook University faculty to receive an NSF Early CAREER Award in 2026.
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