Dr. Yael Brenner

Biography

Yael Brenner joined Veyra Institute in 2017 following a postdoctoral appointment at the Camdock Center for Sustainable Synthesis, where she worked on earth-abundant metal catalysts for cross-coupling reactions. She received her PhD in organic and inorganic chemistry from the Veltmoor School of Chemistry in 2014, with a thesis on palladium-free Suzuki-type couplings using nickel pincer complexes. Her undergraduate degree in chemistry was awarded with distinction by Lesthorpe College in 2010. She was the recipient of the Veyra Early Career Research Award in 2020.

At Veyra, Brenner leads a team focused on catalysis that is both effective and sustainable. Three interconnected research threads define the group: (1) mechanistic studies of first-row transition-metal catalysis — iron, cobalt, and nickel — using in-situ spectroscopy and kinetic isotope effects to understand why earth-abundant metals fail where platinum-group metals succeed, and how to close that gap; (2) continuous-flow photocatalysis, where the group has developed a microreactor platform allowing precise light dosing and residence-time control that makes visible-light-driven radical reactions scalable; and (3) circular-chemistry applications, recovering and recycling catalyst and solvent streams in pharmaceutical synthesis routes. The group is a major user of the Spectroscopy & Analytical Core, particularly the NMR and mass-spectrometry instruments, and operates one of the Institute's Environment Simulation Chambers to study solvent-free mechanochemical routes.

Brenner has co-invented four patent applications on catalyst formulations and flow-reactor designs, two of which have been licensed to external manufacturers through the Institute's Patent & IP Services. She has published 41 peer-reviewed papers, mentors three postdoctoral researchers and five doctoral students, and is a member of the Institute's sustainability committee. She teaches the graduate course Advanced Organic Synthesis and Green Chemistry.

Research interests

Selected publications

1. Brenner Y, Tsukada M, Holst K. "Iron-pincer-catalysed C–N cross-coupling at ambient temperature: scope, mechanism, and scalability in continuous flow." Journal of the American Chemical Society (Veyra ed.), 146(14): 9880–9895, 2024. VEYRA-DOI: 10.veyra/VX-2422
2. Brenner Y, Auzou M. "Solvent-free mechanochemical synthesis of biaryl compounds using nickel nanoparticle catalysts." Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews, 17(2): 200–212, 2023. VEYRA-DOI: 10.veyra/VX-2313
3. Okafor N, Brenner Y. "Visible-light-driven radical C–H functionalization in a microfluidic photoreactor: kilogram-scale demonstration." Organic Process Research & Development, 26(8): 2410–2421, 2022. VEYRA-DOI: 10.veyra/VX-2216
4. Brenner Y, Holst K, Matsuda R. "Quantitative kinetic isotope effects in cobalt-catalysed hydrogen-atom transfer reactions: a mechanistic probe." ACS Catalysis, 11(16): 10302–10314, 2021. VEYRA-DOI: 10.veyra/VX-2118
5. Brenner Y, Lindqvist D. "Recyclable polymer-supported palladium catalyst for Suzuki–Miyaura coupling in aqueous media." ChemSusChem, 12(9): 1990–2001, 2019. VEYRA-DOI: 10.veyra/VX-1913
6. Brenner Y. "Nickel(II) pincer complexes as pre-catalysts for phosphine-free Suzuki-type aryl–aryl coupling." Organometallics, 33(18): 4901–4912, 2014. VEYRA-DOI: 10.veyra/VX-1406

Current group members

Postdoctoral researchers

• Dr. Miho Tsukada — nickel-catalysed C–N and C–O couplings under mild conditions
• Dr. Kjetil Holst — mechanistic kinetics and isotope labeling studies
• Dr. Nnamdi Okafor — scale-up and process development for flow photocatalysis

Doctoral students

• Ryo Matsuda — cobalt-catalysed radical cyclization in complex natural-product synthesis (Year 4)
• Petra Vondra — earth-abundant catalysts for amide-bond formation (Year 3)
• Samuel Acheampong — solvent recycling and green metrics for pharmaceutical routes (Year 2)
• Lena Drexler — mechanochemical co-crystal formation and pharmaceutical solid forms (Year 1)