Louis was born in Wick on the north coast of Scotland and obtained his MChem degree (1^st Class Honours) from the University of St Andrews, including a one-year industrial placement at AstraZeneca (Charnwood). He completed his Masters research project in 2010 with Professor Andrew Smith.

Staying at St Andrews, he completed his Ph.D. under the direction of Professor Andrew Smith entitled "Organocatalytic Functionalisation of Carboxylic Acids Using Isothioureas", funded by a prestigious Carnegie-Caledonian Scholarship (2010-2014). This work expanded the utility of isothioureas in Lewis base catalysis and demonstrated the first intermolecular bond-forming reaction of carboxylic acid-derived ammonium enolates

For his postdoctoral research, he moved to UC Berkeley to join the research group of Professor Richmond Sarpong, entering the world of complex molecule synthesis. Specifically, he was part of a team that developed highly efficient and concise total syntheses of diterpenoid alkaloid natural products. In 2015, he was appointed as a University Research Fellow in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at Cardiff University and began his independent research career. He is specifically interested in exploring new frontiers in organocatalysis.

Lecturer on the following courses:

CH4103 Foundations of Organic and Biological Chemistry (*New Course*)

CH3404 Asymmetric Synthesis of Pharmaceuticals and Natural Products - Organocatalysis (*New Course*)

CHT402 Recent Advances in Homogeneous Catalysis - Organocatalysis CDT Workshop (*New Course*)

Leading tutorials on the following courses:

CH4103 Foundations of Organic and Biological Chemistry
CH3104 Introduction to the Solid State & Applications of Spectroscopy
CH3105 Techniques and Methods in Chemistry
CH3202 Applications of Molecular Spectroscopy
CH3203 Organic Chemistry of Multiply Bonded Systems
CH3303 Advanced Organic Chemistry

Project supervisor for the following options:

CH3325 Final Year B.Sc. project
CH3401 Final Year MChem project

Research in the Morrill group is focused in the field of Synthetic Organic Chemistry. We are particularly interested in exploring new frontiers in organocatalysis, employing dual catalytic methods to rapidly generate molecular complexity, forming densely functionalised molecules in a stereodefined fashion. The multi-step, one-pot nature of this dual catalysis approach represents progress towards more sustainable chemistry. The development of novel organocatalysts, especially those that operate via unusual or previously unknown modes of activation, represents another significant area of interest. The utility and impact of our developed methodologies will ultimately be exemplified through its application in the total synthesis of natural products and molecules of biological significance. Research in the Morrill group will be underway from October 2015 and areas of interest will include:

• The exploration of new frontiers in organocatalysis via the productive merger of organocatalysis with other transition metal, organometallic or biochemical modes of activation.
• The development of novel Lewis acid organocatalysts for a variety of organic transformations.
• Expanding the utility of neglected, yet readily available and cheap precursors in organocatalytic transformations.