Personal profile
Research interests
Natural products isolated from bacteria, fungi and plants from both marine and terrestrial environments are a rich source of compounds of medicinal and agrochemical importance. We have published >130 papers which centre upon:-
- Structure elucidation and total synthesis of natural products
- Design and synthesis of probes to elucidate biosynthetic pathways and enzyme mechanisms
- Enantioselective synthesis of amino acids and heterocycles
- Isotopic labelling, biotransformations and reaction mechanisms
Professor Willis is a supervisor in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Chemical Synthesis
Research Groups and Themes
- Organic & Biological
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
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OSMAC guided bioprospecting of Atlantic sponges reveals novel bacterial species and evidence for the antimicrobial thiazole alkaloid agrochelin II
Williams, S. E., Stennett, H. L., Devine, A. J., Song, Z., Back, C. R., Wang, L., Mantell, J., Neal, C., Jepson, M. A., Essex-Lopresti, A. E., Sellars, J. D., Stach, J. E. M., Willis, C. L., Curnow, P. & Race, P. R., 17 Feb 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 92, 3, 22 p., e01877-25.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review
Open Access -
Chemoenzymatic total synthesis of the antibiotic (−)-13-deoxytetrodecamycin using the Diels–Alderase TedJ
Russell, S. J., Back, C. R., Perry, C., Cheung, K. A., Maschio, L., Charlton, S. N., Lees, N. R., Manzo-Ruiz, M., Hayes, M. A., van der Kamp, M. W., Race, P. R. & Willis, C. L., 28 Sept 2025, In: Chemical Science. 16, 36, p. 16993-16999 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus) -
Complete genome sequences of two actinomycetes containing abyssomicin-like gene clusters: Kutzneria buriramensis DSM 45791 and Streptomyces sp. NL15-2K
Williams, S. E., Faurdal, D., Jørgensen, T. S., Back, C. R., Rooms, L. D., Hayes, M. A., Willis, C. L., Stach, J. E. M., Curnow, P. & Race, P. R., 11 Feb 2025, In: Microbiology Resource Announcements. 14, 2, 3 p., e0115824.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review
Open Access
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Harnessing the Power of Diels-Alderases in Sustainable Chemoenzymatic Synthesis
Willis, C. L. (Principal Investigator)
1/12/23 → 30/11/26
Project: Research, Parent
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Harnessing the Power of Diels-Alderases in Sustainable Chemoenzymatic Synthesis
Willis, C. L. (Principal Investigator)
1/12/23 → 30/11/26
Project: Research
-
Harnessing the Power of Diels-Alderases in Sustainable Chemoenzymatic Synthesis
Willis, C. L. (Principal Investigator)
1/12/23 → 30/11/26
Project: Research