Robert Britton

Dr. Robert Britton is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University (SFU). He obtained his BSc in organic chemistry from the University of Waterloo while working with professor Victor Snieckus, and his PhD in natural product isolation, structural elucidation, and total synthesis from the University of British Columbia with professors Edward Piers and Raymond Anderson. He spent two years at Cambridge with professor Ian Paterson as a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) post-doctoral fellow, and then joined Merck’s Process Research Group as a senior scientist before starting an independent career.

His research program at SFU focuses on the concise synthesis of structurally and stereochemically complex natural products and the discovery of new synthetic methods to support drug discovery and development. Current interests include the synthesis of natural products that may prove useful in the treatment of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, and the development of new fluorination strategies to support PET imaging and drug discovery. This research program is funded by NSERC, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute, Brain Canada, and several industrial partners; it has been recognized by a F. Hoffmann-La Roche Visiting Scholar Award, IntelliSyn Pharma Research Excellence Award, Thieme Chemistry Journal Award, and the Boeringer Ingelheim Young Investigators Award.

Britton is the recipient of an IntelliSyn Pharma Research Excellence Award (2016) and is an Elected Honorary Member of Golden Key Honor Society (2012).