Plants are some of the most remarkable and important organisms on the planet for a single reason: photosynthesis. Through the uptake of carbon dioxide and with a bit of sunlight and the right catalysts, they make the carbohydrates and oxygen necessary for life on the planet. Inspired by the fantastic engineering of Mother Nature, Dr. David Nicewicz of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, hopes to create new chemical reactions that produce the chemicals and materials that are indispensable to modern life in a more environmentally conscious and cost-effective manner. Dr. Nicewicz develops simple organic dyes that are able to harvest sunlight and convert it to chemical energy to catalyze completely new chemical reactions, in much the same way plant life does. In contrast to researchers that work to capture energy created by the sun, Dr. Nicewicz's research team creates dyes that simply aid the process of moving electrons between two otherwise inert reactants, to facilitate completely new chemical processes.

Dr. Nicewicz's research has the ability to transform the way in which scientists make a great deal of important chemicals that are used on a range of scales, from large scale commodity chemicals to pharmaceuticals, to materials. The new chemical transformations Dr. Nicewicz's laboratory has developed are already being used in drug discovery processes in pharmaceuticals, and many other potential applications are possible. Incredibly, Dr. Nicewicz is able to accomplish all of these processes using purely organic catalyst systems which have the potential benefit of lower costs to consumers and more environmentally friendly products. Dr. Nicewicz's group is one of just a handful that are working in this area known as photoredox catalysis. His work to create new chemical reactions may one day allow biomedical researchers to rapidly develop libraries of compounds in order to quickly develop new drugs and things that could ultimately have applications in a number of areas including healthcare, biodegradable plastics, and large scale chemical synthesis.

Current research includes: 

• Libraries of Bioactive Compounds: Dr. Nicewicz is looking at new ways to ultimately take existing drug scaffolds, drugs or drug-like molecules, and use the reaction technology to rapidly make libraries of compounds that are unique to screen for potential bioactivity. Therefore, his research will allow for the development of new organic synthesis tools for biomedical researchers which will allow them to rapidly discover therapeutics. 

• Innovative Methods: Dr. Nicewicz is developing novel ways of making things like chemical solvents and fragrances that we use in products found in everyday items. He hopes to develop more efficient and environmentally friendly ways of making products like paints, adhesives, and plastics. His research has the potential to affect even individual consumers as it will bring down the costs for many materials we use each day in addition to advancing sustainability and efficiency. 

• New Polymerization Strategies: Dr. Nicewicz is developing new polymerization strategies to make novel materials. By using organic dyes as catalysts, Dr. Nicewicz's group will develop novel polymers with potential applications in devices that consumers use each day and could help improve biomedical devices while continuing to be more cost effective and environmentally conscious.