Dr. Paweł Dydio, Principal investigator

My broader academic path is reflected in my research trajectory. I grew up in Sanok, a small town in Poland, and became the first person in my family to pursue an academic career. After completing my undergraduate and MSc studies in Warsaw, I moved to Amsterdam for a PhD, followed by a postdoc in Berkeley. I then returned to Europe to establish my independent research programme in Strasbourg, before being recruited to a tenured position in Cambridge. This progression across institutions, countries, and research cultures reinforced my motivation to pursue ambitious research questions that cut across traditional disciplinary and methodological boundaries.

My research is centred on understanding how catalytic reactivity and selectivity arise from underlying reaction mechanisms, and on using this understanding to design efficient chemical transformations. Across my independent career, I have used detailed mechanistic analysis to develop both single-catalyst and multicatalytic systems, with a particular emphasis on transformations of practical value.

PROFFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK
    University Assistant Professor (October 2023 – present)
  • Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS), Université de Strasbourg, France
    Professeur conventionné (October 2023 – present)
    Assistant Professor of Chemistry (Maître de Conférences Associé) and Director of Laboratoire des Systèmes Complexes en Synthèse et Catalyse  (August 2016 -September 2023)
  • Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA
    NWO Rubicon postdoctoral fellow (June 2014 – June 2016)
    LBNL postdoctoral fellow (February 2014 – June 2014)
    PD advisor: Prof. Dr. John F. Hartwig
  • HIMS, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    NRSCC Doctoral scholar (July 2009 – June 2013)
    PhD advisor: Prof. Dr. Joost N. H. Reek
  • Institute of Organic Chemistry, PAS, Warsaw, Poland
    Predoctoral research fellow (November 2008 – June 2009)
    Advisor: Prof. Dr. Janusz Jurczak
  • University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
    M.Sc. Student (October 2004 – June 2009)

EDUCATION

  • 25th March 2021: HDR at U. Strasbourg
    Thesis: “Strategies for development of transition metal-catalyzed reactions”
  • 22nd November 2013: Ph.D. (Cum laude) at HIMS, U. Amsterdam
    Thesis: “Supramolecular control of selectivity in transition metal catalysis: substrate preorganization & cofactor-steered catalysis”
  • 4th November 2008: M.Sc. (Summa cum laude) at Warsaw University
    Thesis: “Application of benzopyrroles in the construction of anion receptors”

SELECTED PRIZES & AWARDS

  • Thieme Chemistry Journals Award (2023)
  • Guy Ourisson Prize the Gutenberg Circle (2021)
  • Dream Chemistry Award Top 5 (2020)
  • Bürgenstock JSP Fellow (2020)
  • ERC Starting Grant 2018 Awardee
  • Chaire attractivité Recherche 2016 – Junior Chair of the framework Excellence Initiative of the University of Strasbourg
  • NWO Rubicon fellow (competitive postdoctoral fellowship, equivalent of Marie Curie Actions Program), awarded by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) for 2 years (2014-2016)
  • LBNL Postdoctoral fellow and affiliate (2014-2016)
  • PhD Cum laude – the highest PhD honors at U. Amsterdam (2013);
  • MSc Suma cum laude – the highest MSc honors at U. Warsaw (2008);
  • Gold Medal Winner at International Chemistry Olympiad, Germany (2004);
  • Fellowship of the Polish Children’s Fund (2002-2004);
  • Scholarships of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (2005-2008), the Polish Minister of National Education (2004) and the Prime Minister of the Polish Government (2002-2004).