James L. Gleason Professor Organic Chemistry email: jim.gleason@mcgill.ca phone: 514-398-5596 fax: 514-398-3797 lab phone: 514-398-6225 Office: 309A, Otto Maass Chemistry Building  Department of Chemistry McGill University 801 Sherbrooke St. West Montreal, QC H3A 0B8 Biographical Sketch Jim Gleason was born in Montreal in 1967, but was raised mostly in the United States. He returned to Canada for undergraduate studies and completed his B.Sc. (Honours) from McGill University in 1989. He then attended the University of Virginia for graduate studies and obtained his Ph.D. in 1994 under the supervision of Prof. Robert E. Ireland. While there, he completed the total synthesis of FK-506 and developed methodology for the synthesis of alpha,beta-diketoamides from masked enediols. After completing his studies at Virginia, he moved to the California Institute of Technology where he was an NIH postdoctoral fellow in the labs of Prof. Andrew G. Myers. While at Caltech, he developed highly practical methodology for the synthesis of unnatural amino acids through the alkylation of glycine amides of psuedoephedrine. In 1996, he took up an academic position at McGill, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2002 and Full Professor in 2021. His research focuses on several areas of organic chemistry including synthetic methods development, total synthesis of natural products and the development of novel hybrid molecules for cancer research. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing, backpacking, running and hockey.

James L. Gleason
Professor
Organic Chemistry

email: jim.gleason@mcgill.ca
phone: 514-398-5596
fax: 514-398-3797
lab phone: 514-398-6225
Office: 309A, Otto Maass Chemistry Building

Department of Chemistry
McGill University
801 Sherbrooke St. West
Montreal, QC
H3A 0B8

Jim Gleason was born in Montreal in 1967, but was raised mostly in the United States. He returned to Canada for undergraduate studies and completed his B.Sc. (Honours) from McGill University in 1989. He then attended the University of Virginia for graduate studies and obtained his Ph.D. in 1994 under the supervision of Prof. Robert E. Ireland. While there, he completed the total synthesis of FK-506 and developed methodology for the synthesis of alpha,beta-diketoamides from masked enediols. After completing his studies at Virginia, he moved to the California Institute of Technology where he was an NIH postdoctoral fellow in the labs of Prof. Andrew G. Myers. While at Caltech, he developed highly practical methodology for the synthesis of unnatural amino acids through the alkylation of glycine amides of psuedoephedrine. In 1996, he took up an academic position at McGill, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2002 and Full Professor in 2021. His research focuses on several areas of organic chemistry including synthetic methods development, total synthesis of natural products and the development of novel hybrid molecules for cancer research. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing, backpacking, running and hockey.

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