Prof. Dr. Robert J. Mayer
Academic Career and Research Areas
The group led by Prof. Mayer conducts research at the interface of physical organic chemistry and catalysis research. By combining high-throughput experimentation, computational chemistry, and data science, the team aims to develop quantitative models that predict chemical reactivity in catalytic reactions and rationalize the underlying mechanisms. These insights accelerate research in organic chemistry and advance the rational exploration of complex systems chemistry.
Prof. Mayer (b. 1994) studied Chemistry and Biochemistry at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, where he obtained a PhD in Physical Organic Chemistry in 2020. In 2021, he joined the Université de Strasbourg (France) as a postdoctoral researcher, where he conducted research in the field of mechanistic organic and prebiotic chemistry. In January 2024, he started his independent career as a junior research group leader at TUM. In December 2025, he was appointed as a Rudolf Mößbauer Tenure Track Professor.
Awards
- Emmy Noether-Fellowship of the DFG (2025)
- Fellowship in the Young Academy of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (2025)
- Liebig Fellowship of the FCI (2024)
- Walter Benjamin Fellowship of the DFG (2021)
- Kekulé PhD Fellowship by the FCI (2018)
Key Publications (all publications)
R. J. Mayer,* J. Moran,* Metal Ions Turn on a Stereoselective Nonenzymatic Reduction of Keto Acids by the Coenzyme NADH. Chem 2024, 10, 2564-2576.
AbstractMayer, R. J.;* Moran, J.* Quantifying Reductive Amination in Nonenzymatic Amino Acid Synthesis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 134, e202212237.
AbstractLi, L; Mayer, P.; Stephenson, D. S.; Ofial, A. R.; Mayer, R. J.;* Mayr, H.* An Overlooked Pathway in 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions of Diazoalkanes with Enamines. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202117047.
AbstractMayer, R. J.;* Hampel, N.; Ofial, A. R.; Mayr, H. Resolving the Mechanistic Complexity in Triarylborane-Induced Conjugate Additions. ACS Catal. 2022, 12, 15298–15309.
AbstractMayer, R. J.;* Ofial, A. R.; Mayr, H.; Legault, C. Y.* Lewis Acidity Scale of Diaryliodonium Ions toward Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Halogen Lewis Bases. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 5221-5233.
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