Dr. James Alexander Law

• Position: Assistant Professor
• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58C, Room 204B
• jlaw@uwf.edu
• Campus: 8504742739
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Biography

Dr. James A. Law is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. He is interested in relationship between biologically active and structurally complex natural products and human disease, specifically debilitating mental health disorders such as Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Schizophrenia. In particular, the Law Lab aims to develop robust synthetic routes to natural products which can be modified to improve phenotypic outcomes in mental health patients. To accomplish this task, the Law Lab advances modular strategies towards targets which rely on convergent assemblies of carbon frameworks using stereo-controlled pericyclic reactions.

Professor Law received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Kennesaw State University under the collective guidance of Prof. John Haseltine and Prof. Christopher Alexander where he conducted research in organic methodology and physical organic chemistry. His doctoral training was completed at Florida State University under the guidance of Prof. Jim Frederich in the field of Organic Chemistry. Here, Prof. Law cut his teeth working towards the total synthesis of several natural product targets (fusicoccanes, ophiobolanes, forskolin, taxodione). His efforts led to the first enantioselective synthesis of fusicoccadiene, an asymmetric entry-point into the ophiobolane family, the development of a 1,3-carbon bisnucleophile enabled by titanacyclobutanes, and a non-biomimetic approach to terpene assembly. Prof. Law completed his post-doctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the guidance of Prof. Steve Buchwald, with a postdoctoral fellowship provided by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. At MIT, he conducted research in the sub-field of asymmetric copper-hydride catalysis where he revealed nitro groups to be useful N-electrophiles towards stereodefined organocopper reagents. At the University of West Florida, Prof. Law is accepting excited undergraduate students who wish to make a direct impact on science and challenge themselves to reach their highest potential.

Degrees & Institutions

• B.S. Biochemistry, Kennesaw State University. Advisor: Prof. John Haseltine and Prof. Christopher Alexander.
• Ph.D. Organic Chemistry, Florida State University. Advisor: Prof. James H. Frederich
• Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Advisor: Prof. Stephen L. Buchwald

Research

Research Interests include: Natural Products, Target Oriented Organic Synthesis, Methods Development, Asymmetric Catalysis, Photochemistry

Special Interests

Bluegrass Music and Outdoor Living

Publications

Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed Synthesis of Hydroxylamines via Hydrofunctionalization of Alkenes using Nitroalkanes
James A. Law, Binh Khanh Mai, Hsuan-Min Hung, Tobianna Hendon, Yuyang Dong, Yu Zhang, Peng Liu, Stephen L. Buchwald. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, accepted.

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (+)-Fusicoccadiene via Photocatalytic Polyene Isomerization
Vitalii S. Basistyi, Tyler D. Weinhold, Jacqueline A. Pinkerton, James A. Law, James H. Frederich. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 124–129.

Access to 3-Azetidines via Halogenation of Titanocyclobutanes
Tyler D. Weinhold, James A. Law, James H. Frederich. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2024, 366, 2214–2219.

A Stereoselective Photoinduced Cycloisomerization Inspired by Ophiobolin A
James A. Law, Daniel Callen, Elena Paola, Gabe Gomes, James H. Frederich. Org. Lett. 2022, 24, 6499–6504.

Programmed Polyene Cyclization Enabled by Chromophore Disruption
Megan M. Solans, Vitalii Basistyi, James A. Law, Noah M. Bartfield, James H. Frederich. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 6193–6199.

Site-Specific Alkene Hydromethylation via Protonolysis of Titanacyclobutanes
James A. Law, Noah M. Bartfield, James H. Frederich.  Angew Chem., Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 14360–14364.  
• Highlighted as a ‘hot’ article by reviewers and featured in FSU news.

Modular access to functionalized 5-8-5 fused ring systems via a photoinduced chromophore disruption.
Anna E. Salvati, James A. Law, Josue Liriano, James H. Frederich.  Chem. Sci. 2018, 6, 5389–5393.
• Highlighted in Chemistry World Magazine, DDNews and the Tallahassee Democrat.

Ruthenium Complexes are pH-Activated Metallo Produgs (pHAMPs) with Light-Triggered Selective Toxicity Towards Cancer Cells.
Fengrui Qu, Seungjo Park, Kristina Martinez, Jessica L. Gray, Fathima Shazna Thowfeik, John A. Lundeen, Ashley E. Kuhn, David J. Charboneau, Deidra L. Gerlach, Molly M. Lockart, James A. Law, Katherine L. Jernigan, Nicole Chambers, Matthias Zeller, Nicholas A. Piro, W. Scott Kassel, Russell H. Schmehl, Jared J. Paul, Edward J. Merino, Yonghyun Kim, Elizabeth Papish.  Inorg. Chem. 2017, 56, 7519–7532.