Education
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
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Postdoctoral Researcher, Organic Chemistry, August 2021–Current
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Research Advisor: Professor Brian Stoltz
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NIH K99/R00 MOSAIC Scholar
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NSF MPS-Ascend Postdoctoral Fellow
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Caltech Presidential Postdoctoral Scholar
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
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Ph.D., Organic Chemistry, June 2021
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Research Advisors: Professors Ken Houk and Neil Garg
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NIH F31 Graduate Fellow
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UCLA Eugene V. Cota-Robles Research Fellow
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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B.A., Chemistry, May 2016
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Research Advisor: Professor Gary Molander
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American Chemical Society Scholars Program Awardee
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Gates Millennium Scholar
Research Experience
California Institute of Technology, Postdoctoral Researcher​
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Investigating an enantioselective, Ni-catalyzed spirocyclization of lactones using a combination of experiments and computations
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Applying machine learning to the optimization of an asymmetric acylation reaction of lactams in collaboration with Professors Gabe Gomes and Olexandr Isayev at Carnegie Mellon University
University of California, Los Angeles, Graduate Research Assistant
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Evaluated the reliability of ωB97XD as a computational method for studying the structure and reactivity of unusual, highly reactive cyclic allenes in Diels–Alder cycloadditions
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Discovered the origins of regioselectivity and endo selectivity in Diels–Alder reactions with strained azacyclic allenes via distortion/interaction activation-strain analyses
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Investigated substituent effects on regioselectivity and chirality transfer in enantioselective Diels–Alder reactions with azacyclic allenes using computations
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Demonstrated the utility of strained cyclic intermediates for the construction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with potential materials applications
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Investigated the mechanism of sequential pericyclic reactions of strained aryne and alkyne intermediates with oxadiazinones via computations
University of Pennsylvania, Undergraduate Research Assistant
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Synthesized 1,3,2-benzoxazaborole and 2,1-borazaronanaphthalene derivatives for applications as isosteres in medicinal and materials chemistry
Publications
Stanko, A. M.; Ramirez, M.; de Almenara, A. J.; Virgil, S. C.; Stoltz, B. M. Enantioselective Nickel-Catalyzed α-Spirocyclization of Lactones. Org. Lett. 2024, ASAP.
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Zhu, L.; Maskeri, M. A.; Ramirez, M.; Le Bideau, F.; Ghosez, L.; Houk. K. N. Computational Exploration of Anomalous Regioselectivities in Cycloadditions of Ketenes to Oxazolines. J. Org. Chem. 2022, 87, 3613–3622.
Ramirez, M.; Vece, V.; Hanessian, S.; Houk, K. N. Computational and Further Experimental Explorations of the Competing Cascades Following Claisen Rearrangements of Aryl Propargyl Ethers: Substituent Effects on Reactivity and Regioselectivity. J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 17955−17964.
Ramirez, M.; Darzi, E. R.; Donaldson, J. S.; Houk, K. N.; Garg, N. K. Cycloaddition Cascades of Strained Alkynes and Oxadiazinones. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2021, 60,18201–18208.
Ramirez, M.; Svatunek, D.; Liu, F.; Garg, N. K.; Houk, K. N. Origins of Endo Selectivity in Diels–Alder Reactions of Cyclic Allene Dienophiles. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2021, 60,14989–14997.
Yang, C.; Liu, Z.; Li, Y.; Zhou, S.; Lu, C.; Guo, Y.; Ramirez, M.; Zhang, Q.; Li, Y.; Liu, Z.; Houk, K. N.; Zhang, D.; Guo, X. Electric Field–Catalyzed Single-Molecule Diels–Alder Reaction Dynamics. Sci. Adv. 2021, 7, eabf0689.
Ramirez, M.; Li, W.; Lam, Y.; Ghosez, L.; Houk, K. N. Mechanisms and Conformational Control of (4+2) and (2+2) Cycloadditions of Dienes to Keteniminium Cations. J. Org. Chem. 2020, 85, 2597–2606.
Simmons, B. J.; Ramirez, M.; Garg, N. K. Facile Reduction of Amides Using Nickel Catalysis: Reduction of 12-Aminododecanolactam. Org. Synth. 2019, 96, 436–454.
Yamano, M. M.; Knapp, R. R.; Ngamnithiporn, A.; Ramirez, M.; Houk, K. N.; Stoltz, B. M.; Garg, N. K. Cycloadditions of Oxacyclic Allenes and a Catalytic Asymmetric Entryway to Enantioenriched Cyclic Allenes. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 5653–5657.
Barber, J. S.; Yamano, M. M.; Ramirez, M.; Darzi, E. R.; Knapp, R. R.; Liu, F.; Houk, K. N.; Garg, N. K. Diels–Alder Cycloadditions of Strained Azacyclic Allenes. Nat. Chem. 2018, 10, 953–960.
Presentations
Curiosity and Persistence as Driving Forces for Interdisciplinary Research. Melissa Ramirez. Occidental Chemistry Department Seminar, Eagle Rock, CA, USA, April 2024. (Oral Presentation)
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Enantioselective Ni-Catayzed α-Spirocyclization of Lactones. Melissa Ramirez. MIT Chemistry Future Faculty Symposium, Cambridge, MA, USA, August 2023. (Oral Presentation)
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Enantioselective Ni-Catayzed α-Spirocyclization of Lactones. Melissa Ramirez. Gordon Research Seminar: Natural Products and Bioactive Compounds, Andover, NH, USA, July 2023. (Oral Presentation)
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Enantioselective Ni-Catayzed α-Spirocyclization of Lactones. Melissa Ramirez. University of Chicago Future Faculty Conference, Chicago, IL, USA, June 2023. (Oral Presentation)
Curiosity and Persistence as Driving Forces for Interdisciplinary Research. Melissa Ramirez. Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering Young Researchers Conference, College Station, TX, USA, May 2023. (Oral Presentation)
Computations and Experiments in Synergy: Reaction Development and the Establishment of Predictive Computational Models. Melissa Ramirez. UC Irvine Future Leaders Seminar, Irvine, CA, USA, April 2023. (Oral Presentation)
Computations and Experiments in Synergy: Reaction Development and the Establishment of Predictive Computational Models. Melissa Ramirez. North Carolina State Building Future Faculty Program Seminar, Raleigh, NC, USA, March 2023. (Oral Presentation)
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Computations and Experiments in Synergy: Reaction Development and the Establishment of Predictive Computational Models. Melissa Ramirez, Brian M. Stoltz, K. N. Houk, and Neil K. Garg. Winter In-Person Organic Symposium, Honolulu, HI, USA, December 2021. (Poster Presentation)
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Origins of Endo Selectivity in Diels-Alder Reactions of Cyclic Allene Dienophiles. Melissa Ramirez, Dennis Svatunek, Fang Liu, Neil K. Garg, and K. N. Houk. 2022 International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry Congress Conference, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, August 2022. (Poster and Oral Presentations)
Origins of Endo Selectivity in Diels-Alder Reactions of Cyclic Allene Dienophiles. Melissa Ramirez, Dennis Svatunek, Fang Liu, Neil K. Garg, and K. N. Houk. Houk Research Conference, Westwood, CA, USA, August 2022. (Poster Presentation)
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Cycloaddition Cascades of Strained Alkynes and Oxadiazinones. Melissa Ramirez, Evan R. Darzi, Joyann S. Donaldson, K. N. Houk, and Neil K. Garg. National Organic Chemistry Symposium, La Jolla, CA, USA. June 2022. (Poster Presentation)
Origins of Endo Selectivity in Diels-Alder Reactions of Cyclic Allene Dienophiles. Melissa Ramirez, Theoretical Physical Organic Chemistry Meeting, Virtual Event, March 2021. (Oral Presentation)
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​A Modular Approach to Non-Symmetric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Melissa Ramirez, Evan R. Darzi, Joyann S. Barber, K. N. Houk, and Neil K. Garg. Amgen Young Investigator Award Symposium, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, October 2019. (Poster Presentation)
Harnessing Reactive Intermediates for the Synthesis of Complex Molecular Scaffolds. Melissa Ramirez, NSF Graduate Education and the Professoriate Research Exchange Program, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA, August 2019. (Oral Presentation)
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Harnessing 3,4-Azacyclohexadienes as Unusual Synthetic Building Blocks. Michael M. Yamano, Joyann S. Barber, Melissa Ramirez, Evan R. Darzi, Rachel R. Knapp, Prof. Neil K. Garg, and Prof. K. N. Houk. 31st Annual Glenn T. Seaborg Symposium, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA, November 2017. (Poster Presentation)
Advancements Toward Functionalization of 2,1-Borazaronaphthalenes. Melissa Ramirez, Geraint H. M. Davies, and G. A. Molander. ACS Organic Division Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Poster Session, Rahway, NJ, USA, August 2015. (Poster Presentation)
