Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Dr. Schafer's research interests bridge the areas of organometallic and organic chemistry. She has developed a new class of complexes employing low toxicity metals that are easily modified and rapidly assembled. This new family of catalysts shows remarkable reactivity in selective carbon-nitrogen and carbon-carbon bond forming reactions. Thus, the focus of her research efforts is to develop readily accessed complexes that show promise for practical application in the fine chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. The development of these new catalytic systems builds toward the minimization of waste, and the maximization of energy efficiency to result in sustainable methods for industrially relevant chemical transformations.