Julie Kovacs

Julie Kovacs is an American chemist and academic. She is professor of chemistry at the University of Washington. Her research involves investigations into the function of non-heme iron enzymes and the mechanisms of oxygen-evolving complexes. She is Chair of the American Chemical Society Division on Inorganic Chemistry.

Julie A. Kovacs
Alma materMichigan State University (BS)
Harvard University (PhD)
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Washington
University of California, Berkeley
Harvard University
WebsiteKovacs Lab

Early life and education

Kovacs studied chemistry at Michigan State University.[1] She moved to Harvard University for her doctoral degree and completed her PhD under the supervision of Richard H. Holm in 1986.[2] Her doctoral research considered transition metal complexes and Kovacs was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, where she worked with Robert Bergman.[3]

Research and career

She joined the University of Washington as an Assistant Professor in 1988. She was promoted to Professor in 2001. Her research involves investigations into the role of thiolates in dioxygen chemistry.[4][5] Non-heme iron enzyomes are known to promote biological reactions, but the mechanisms by which cysteinates impact their function is not well understood.[6] Kovacs has studied the activity of meta-stale cis-thiolate ligated dioxygen intermediates.[4]

Kovacs is interested in the formation of the oxygen–oxygen bond.[4][7] In nature, it is this oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) that stores solar energy in chemical bonds. By creating a series of small molecule analogues, Kovas studies the radical coupling mechanism by which MnIV-oxyl radicals attach briding oxo groups.[4] She also investigates nucleophilic attack of MnV-oxo due to hydroxyl groups on the OEC.[4] The small molecules include nitrogen and sulphur and a particular stereochemistry. Through synthesis of organic molecules with a variety of different molecular frameworks, Kovacs investigates their structure-property relationships and the reactivity of the resulting transition-metal complexes.[8][9]

Kovacs was elected President of the American Chemical Society Division on Inorganic Chemistry in 2019.[10]

Selected publications

Her publications include:

  • Synthetic analogues of cysteinate-ligated non-heme iron and non-corrinoid cobalt enzymes (DOI: 10.1021/cr020619e)[11]
  • Synthetic Models for the Cysteinate-Ligated Non-Heme Iron Enzyme Superoxide Reductase:  Observation and Structural Characterization by XAS of an FeIII−OOH Intermediate (DOI: 10.1021/ja012722b)[12]
  • Understanding how the thiolate sulfur contributes to the function of the non-heme iron enzyme superoxide reductase (DOI: 10.1021/ar600059h)[13]

References
  1. harva015 (2019-09-12). "Department Seminar: Professor Julie A. Kovacs". Department of Chemistry. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  2. "Kovacs Lab Members". depts.washington.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  3. "Former Bergman Group Members – Bergman Group". Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  4. "Kovacs Lab Research". depts.washington.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  5. Kovacs, Julie A. (2003-02-14). "How Iron Activates O2". Science. 299 (5609): 1024–1025. doi:10.1126/science.1081792. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 12586930.
  6. Shearer, Jason; Scarrow, Robert C.; Kovacs, Julie A. (2002-10-01). "Synthetic Models for the Cysteinate-Ligated Non-Heme Iron Enzyme Superoxide Reductase:  Observation and Structural Characterization by XAS of an FeIII−OOH Intermediate". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 124 (39): 11709–11717. doi:10.1021/ja012722b. ISSN 0002-7863.
  7. "NSF Award Search: Award#1664682 - Understanding the Mechanism of Mn-Promoted H2O Oxidation". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  8. "Julie A. Kovacs - UW Dept. of Chemistry". depts.washington.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  9. Yan Poon, Penny Chaau; Dedushko, Maksym A.; Sun, Xianru; Yang, Guang; Toledo, Santiago; Hayes, Ellen C.; Johansen, Audra; Piquette, Marc C.; Rees, Julian A.; Stoll, Stefan; Rybak-Akimova, Elena (2019-09-25). "How Metal Ion Lewis Acidity and Steric Properties Influence the Barrier to Dioxygen Binding, Peroxo O–O Bond Cleavage, and Reactivity". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 141 (38): 15046–15057. doi:10.1021/jacs.9b04729. ISSN 0002-7863.
  10. "Home". Division of Inorganic Chemistry. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  11. Kovacs, Julie A. (2004-05-25). "Synthetic Analogues of Cysteinate-Ligated Non-Heme Iron and Non-Corrinoid Cobalt Enzymes". ChemInform. 35 (21). doi:10.1002/chin.200421278. ISSN 0931-7597. PMC 4487544.
  12. Shearer, Jason; Scarrow, Robert C.; Kovacs, Julie A. (2002). "Synthetic Models for the Cysteinate-Ligated Non-Heme Iron Enzyme Superoxide Reductase: Observation and Structural Characterization by XAS of an Fe III −OOH Intermediate". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 124 (39): 11709–11717. doi:10.1021/ja012722b. ISSN 0002-7863.
  13. Kovacs, Julie A.; Brines, Lisa M. (2007-10-02). "Understanding How the Thiolate Sulfur Contributes to the Function of the Non-Heme Iron Enzyme Superoxide Reductase". ChemInform. 38 (40). doi:10.1002/chin.200740273. ISSN 0931-7597. PMC 3703784.
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