BA and MSci (1st Class Honours), University of Cambridge (2004- 2008); PhD, University of Cambridge (2008-2012, Prof. Dominic Wright); Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto, Canada (2012-2013, Prof. Douglas Stephan); Humboldt Fellow, University of Heidelberg, Germany (2013-2014, Prof. Lutz Gade). Appointed as a Lecturer in Chemistry, Cardiff (2014). Significant awards: RSC Dalton Young Researchers Award (2013); European Young Researchers Award (2014).

Research in the Melen group focuses on the use of main group Lewis acids in organic synthesis and catalysis. The research programme includes:

Main group catalyst design including tuning the steric and electronic effects of the Lewis acid. Applications of main group Lewis acids in organic synthesis and catalytic processes. Mechanistic studies to determine reaction pathways and the role of the Lewis acid in the reactions using combinations of experimental and theoretical methods.

Lawson, J. R. and Melen, R. 2017. Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane and beyond: modern advances in borylation chemistry. Inorganic Chemistry (10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6b02911) pdf Melen, R.et al. 2016. Structural studies of Perfluoroaryldiselenadiazolyl Radicals: Insights into Dithiadiazolyl Chemistry. Inorganic Chemistry 55(22), pp. 11747-11759. (10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6b01771) pdf Lawson, J.et al. 2016. Synthesis and reactivity of N,N’-1,4-diazabutadiene derived borocations. Dalton Transactions 45(41), pp. 16177-16181. (10.1039/C6DT03360A) pdf Wilkins, L. C. and Melen, R. L. 2016. Enantioselective main group catalysis: modern catalysts for organic transformations. Coordination Chemistry Reviews 324, pp. 123-139. (10.1016/j.ccr.2016.07.011) pdf Wilkins, L.et al. 2016. The propargyl rearrangement to functionalised allyl-boron and borocation compounds. Chemistry - a European Journal 22(41), pp. 14618-14624. (10.1002/chem.201602719) pdf Wilkins, L.et al. 2016. Gegensätzliche Reaktivität frustrierter Lewis-Paare mit Selen- und Bor-basierten Lewis-Säuren. Angewandte Chemie 128(37), pp. 11462-11465. (10.1002/ange.201605239) pdf Wilkins, L.et al. 2016. Contrasting frustrated Lewis pair reactivity with selenium- and boron-based Lewis acids. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition 55(37), pp. 11292-11295. (10.1002/anie.201605239) pdf Lam, J.et al. 2016. Chiral carbene–borane adducts: precursors for borenium catalysts for asymmetric FLP hydrogenations. Dalton Transactions 45(39), pp. 15303-15316. (10.1039/C6DT02202B) pdf Melen, R. L. and Stephan, D. W. 2016. Main group transformations. Dalton Transactions 45(14), pp. 5879-5879. (10.1039/C6DT90027E) hansmann, M.et al. 2015. Cyclopropanation / Carboboration Reactions of Enynes with B(C6F5)3. Journal of the American Chemical Society 137(49), pp. 15469-15477. (10.1021/jacs.5b09311) pdf Wilkins, L.et al. 2015. Pathways to functionalized heterocycles: propargyl rearrangement using B(C6F5)3. Organometallics 34(21), pp. 5298-5309. (10.1021/acs.organomet.5b00753) pdf