Assoc. Prof. Dr. Indrajeet Sharma | Synthetic Chemistry | Best Researcher Award
University of Oklahoma, United States
Author Profiles
🎓 Education and Training
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Indrajeet Sharma began his academic journey with a B.Sc. (Honors) in Chemistry from the University of Delhi, India (2001–2004), where he earned a Meritorious Award for his academic excellence. He continued his studies with an M.Sc. in Chemistry at the prestigious IIT Kharagpur (2004–2006), supported by a Merit Scholarship, focusing on [4 + 2] Hauser annulation for the synthesis of anticancer anthracyclines. Pursuing his passion for organic synthesis, he earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry under Prof. David Crich at Wayne State University and later at the University of Illinois at Chicago (2006–2011), working on the chemical synthesis of peptides and peptide thioesters along with mechanistic studies of glycosylation reactions. To refine his expertise, he completed his postdoctoral fellowship (2011–2014) under Prof. Derek S. Tan at the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), focusing on the diversity-oriented synthesis of benzannulated spiroketals and rational design of novel antibiotics.
🏛️ Professional Appointments
Dr. Sharma embarked on his professional career as a Lecturer at Weill Cornell Graduate College, New York (2013–2014). In August 2014, he joined the University of Oklahoma, Norman, as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, later advancing to Associate Professor in July 2020. In April 2025, he was honored with the title of Presidential Professor. Dr. Sharma is also a Full Member of the Institute of Natural Products Applications and Research Technologies (INPART) since 2014 and served as Associated Faculty for the Cellular and Behavioral Neurobiology program from 2015 to 2021.
🏆 Fellowships and Awards
Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Sharma has been recognized with numerous prestigious honors. Notable among them are the Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Presidential Professorship (2025) and being named Professor of the Year by Chemical and Biochemical Researchers (CBR) at OU in 2024. He received multiple Senior Faculty Summer Fellowships (SFSF) (2023, 2024, 2021) and the Collaborative Research Faculty Fellowship (CRFF) in 2022. His research excellence earned him the NSF-CAREER Award (2018–2023) and the ACS-PRF Doctoral New Investigator Award (2018–2020). In addition, he was among the top 14 Assistant Professors selected for the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Young Academic Investigator Symposium in 2019. His early promise was recognized with the Lucille Castori Postdoctoral Fellowship at MSKCC, a Travel Award and selection for the Graduate Research Symposium by the American Chemical Society, and numerous scholarships during his academic training.
🧪 Areas of Research
Dr. Sharma’s research is at the intersection of Organic Synthesis, Drug Discovery, and Chemical Biology. His innovative approaches in diversity-oriented synthesis, rational drug design, and natural product applications have significantly contributed to advancing chemical and biochemical research.
🤝 Professional Memberships
Committed to scientific advancement, Dr. Sharma is an active member of several leading scientific organizations, including the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP).
Notable Publications📝
📝Sulfenylcarbene-Mediated Carbon Atom Insertion for the Late-Stage Functionalization of N-Heterocycles
Authors: Kafle, P.; Herndon, D.; Sharma, I.
Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society
Year: 2025
📝Sulfenylnitrene-Mediated Nitrogen-Atom Insertion for Late-Stage Skeletal Editing of N-Heterocycles
Authors: Ghosh, B.; Kafle, P.; Mukherjee, R.; Welles, R.; Herndon, D.; Nicholas, K.M.; Shao, Y.; Sharma, I.
Journal: Journal of Bio-X Research
Year: 2025
📝Catalytic Activation of Thioglycosides with Copper-Carbenes for Stereoselective 1,2-Cis-Furanosylations
Authors: Ghosh, B.; Alber, A.; Lander, C.W.; Shao, Y.; Nicholas, K.M.; Sharma, I.
Journal: Organic Letters
Year: 2024
📝Catalytic Orthogonal Glycosylation Enabled by Enynal-Derived Copper Carbenes
Authors: Pratap Singh, S.; Ghosh, B.; Sharma, I.
Journal: Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis
Year: 2024
📝Catalytic Stereoselective 1,2-cis-Furanosylations Enabled by Enynal-Derived Copper Carbenes
Authors: Ghosh, B.; Alber, A.; Lander, C.W.; Shao, Y.; Nicholas, K.M.; Sharma, I.
Journal: ACS Catalysis
Year: 2024
📝Inverting Conventional Chemoselectivity of Metal Carbenes with Sulfenylcarbenes for Late-Stage Functionalizations
Authors: Kafle, P.; Herndon, D.; Sharma, I.
Journal: ChemRxiv
Year: 2024