Nathaniel Martin new IBL professor in Bioorganic Chemistry
Nathaniel Martin has been appointed professor in the field of Bioorganic Chemistry within the Faculty of Science at the Institute of Biology Leiden, starting from 1 March 2018. His research focuses on using new (bio)chemical approaches to combat infectious disease, as well as on developing new molecular tools to study epigenetic processes.
At the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) Martin will establish a fully functional bio-organic chemistry and chemical biology research group, aimed at developing next generation antibiotics and new molecular tools for studying epigenetic processes.
'Given my background and training as an organic chemist, I especially look forward to learning many things from my new colleagues at the Institute of Biology Leiden and building strong collaborative connections with the biologists at the institute', says Martin.
About Nathaniel Martin
Nathaniel Martin obtained his PhD in 2004 from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta (Canada) on research into naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides. Upon completion of his PhD-project, he moved to UC Berkeley, where he worked as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2007, Martin continued his research career at Utrecht University, working in the fields of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology.
Nathaniel Martin has received a number of grants and awards for his research, including the NWO Veni (2007) and Vidi (2010) grants as well as the ERC consolidator grant (2016). He was also recently named as one of the top three young medicinal chemists in Europe by the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry.
Strengthening cooperation
In addition, Martin's appointment at the IBL plays an important role in strengthening the cooperation of the IBL with the Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC), the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR) and the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), all within the framework of the NCOH, an academic network in which problems such as antimicrobial resistance are studied.