Professor Matthew Sigman focuses on the development of new synthetic methodology and new oxidation reactions using practical terminal oxidants at the University of Utah, US. 

What inspired you to become a scientist? 

The answer to this question stems from my early childhood where I always wanted to know why anything (everything) worked. My parents very much encouraged me to investigate and ask these types of questions. I was especially inspired by my mother in this regard who is also a scientist. While most science classes in middle school and high school were of interest to me, my high school chemistry teacher provided with the impetus to enter college as a chemistry major although it was not until I performed undergraduate research (Utah State University with Professor Michael Wright) that I knew I would dedicate my career to chemistry. 

My research program is particularly interesting in how/why reactions proceed and I believe this originates from desire to understand why anything works! 

What was your motivation behind the work described in your ChemComm article?

A focus of my research group has been on developing novel practical oxidation reactions that generally utilize molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant. The current Feature Article outlines many of the recent exciting aspects and difficulties in the field of Pd(II)-catalyzed aerobic oxidations. The main goal of the article is to demonstrate some of the difficulties associated with using molecular oxygen as a reagent in organic chemistry and the approaches to overcome these difficulties. 

Why did you choose ChemComm to publish your work? 

We believed that ChemComm would be an excellent venue for a minireview of this type. 

Where do you see your research heading next? 

We are particularly interested in developing new asymmetric alkene oxidations using Pd(II) catalysts and molecular oxygen as a terminal oxidant. Additionally, we are also trying to develop non-classical bond constructions using alkenes as an unusual synthon. 

What do enjoy doing in your spare time?

I very much enjoy time with my family (my wife and two young children). My hobby is cooking as I would guess many chemists would answer. 

If you could not be a scientist, but could be anything else, what would you be? 

I would have loved to have pursued a life as a musician. 

Interviewed by Kathryn Sear