Michael Rourke

Michael was raised on the banks of the Wabash in Terre Haute, IN, before heading west to receive a degree in biochemistry at the University of Colorado. His training as a synthetic chemist was founded under the guidance of Professor Maciej Walczak, where they developed palladium cross-coupling reactions for the stereospecific synthesis of C-aryl glycosides. Doctoral training at Northwestern University was advised by Professor Karl Scheidt and expanded Michael’s knowledge to include single-electron transformations as demonstrated in photoredox-mediated radical coupling reactions of acyl azoliums. Michael’s goal is to leverage his synthetic training to pursue his interest in biochemistry. In his free time, Michael enjoys all things motorcycle racing, looking at the pictures in the ASAPs, skiing above treeline, and taking the opportunity to clear his mind through cycling.