Paramjit Arora is Professor of Chemistry at New York University. He earned his BS in 1992, from University of California, Berkeley, where he was an Undergraduate Research Assistant with Professor Richard Mathies, 1988-1992. He then proceeded to earn his Ph.D. in 1999, studying under Professor James Nowick, 1993-1999, University of California, Irvine. He worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. Peter Dervan, 1999-2002, at the California Institute of Technology.

Professor Arora's research group applies principles of physical organic chemistry to molecular recognition and catalysis. They explore peptides and peptidomimetics to target biomolecular complexes and design organocatalysts for amide bond formation.

Amide bonds are ubiquitous in peptides, proteins, pharmaceuticals, and polymers. The formation of amide bonds is a straightforward process: amide bonds can be synthesized with relative ease because of the availability of efficient coupling agents. However, there is a substantive need for methods that do not require excess reagents.

A catalyst that condenses amino acids could have an important impact by reducing the significant waste generated during peptide synthesis.

This presentation will discuss the rational design of a biomimetic catalyst that can efficiently couple amino acids featuring standard protecting groups. The catalyst design combines lessons learned from enzymes, peptide biosynthesis, and organocatalysts.