Staff Profile

Background

Cristina studied Chemistry at Complutense University (Madrid) where she received her Ph.D. degree with European mention in 2010. She developed new synthetic methods based on conjugate addition reactions under Rhodium(I) and Palladium(II) catalysis. During her Ph.D. she was a visiting scholar in the group of Prof. Janine Cossy (ESPCI, Paris) and worked towards the synthesis of 2-phenylpiperidin-3-ol derivatives and 3-hydroxypipecolic acids. She was awarded with a Fulbright Fellowship to work on enantioselective Gold(I)- Catalysis in the group of Prof. Dean Toste in UC Berkeley (California) for two years. In 2013 Cristina joined the group of Prof Christopher A. Hunter to study cooperativity in complex molecular recognition interfaces in the University of Sheffield. She moved with the rest of the group to the University of Cambridge in 2014 where she designed chiral information oligomers based on polyesters. During all these years working as a Synthetic and Physical Organic Chemist she was also involved in some of the teaching activities taking place in these institutions. In 2016 she was appointed as a Teaching Fellow in Newcastle University. At the moment she is involved in lectures, tutorials and practical courses of lots of different modules in both the Undergraduate Programme and the MSc in Drug Chemistry Programme.

Qualifications

• 2010: Ph.D in Chemistry with honours and European Mention. Complutense University, Madrid.
• 2007: MChem. Complutense University, Madrid.
• 2006: MSc. in Education. Complutense University, Madrid.
• 2005: BSc Chemistry. Complutense University, Madrid.

Previous Positions

• 2005-2010: FPU Predoctoral Fellow (Spanish Ministry of Education). Complutense University, Madrid.
• 2011-2012: Postdoctoral Research Associate (EPSRC). The University of Sheffield.
• 2012-2013: Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow. University of California, Berkeley.
• 2013-2014: Postdoctoral Research Associate (ERC). The University of Sheffield.
• 2014-2016: Postdoctoral Research Associate (ERC). University of Cambridge.

Memberships

• Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry
• Fulbright alumni association
• Lucy Cavendish College (Cambridge) alumni

Undergraduate Teaching

Stage 1

• CHY1101: Basic Organic Chemistry (Tutorials)
• CHY1201: Elements of Physical Chemistry (Practical course Coordinator)
• CHY1204: General Chemistry (Practical Course Coordinator)

Stage 2

• CHY2001: Group Assignment in Chemistry (Group Tutor)
• CHY2101: Organic Chemistry (Tutorials)
• CHY2102: Bioactive natural products (Lectures)
• CHY2201: Physical Chemistry (Practical Course Coordinator)

Stage 3

• CHY3011: Research Literature Project (Project Supervisor)
• CHY3108: Advanced Organic Chemistry (Tutorials)
• CHY3206: Advanced Physical Chemistry (Practical Course Coordinator)

Stage 4

• CHY8411: Research Project

Postgraduate Teaching

MSc Course

• CHY8824: Methods and Techniques for Drug Chemistry (Lectures)
• CHY8828: Bioactive Natural Products (Lectures)
• CHY8811: Research Project and Dissertation (Second supervisor and demonstrator)

       Personal Tutor

• Navarro C, Shapiro ND, Bernasconi M, Horibe T, Toste FD. Gold(I)-catalysed enantioselective [3+2] and [3+3] cycloaddition reactions of propargyl acetals/ketals. Tetrahedron 2015, 71(35), 5800-5805.
• Sun H, Navarro C, Hunter CA. Influence of non covalent preorganization on supramolecular effective molarities. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry 2015, 13(17), 4981-4992.
• Adams H, Chekmeneva E, Hunter CA, Misuraca MC, Navarro C, Turega SM. Quantification of the Effect of Conformational Restriction on Supramolecular Effective Molarities. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2013, 135, 1853-1863.
• Sun H, Hunter CA, Navarro C, Turega SM. Relationship between Chemical Structure and Supramolecular Effective Molarity for formation of Intramolecular H-Bonds. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2013, 135, 13129‐13141.
• Murcia MC, Navarro C, Moreno A, Csaky AG. Naturally Ocurring d-Hydroxy-g-Lactones:Muricatacins and Related Compounds. Current Organic Chemistry 2010, 14, 14-47.
• Molina MT, Navarro C, Moreno A, Csaky AG. Arylation of Benzo-fused 1,4-Quinones by the Addition of Boronic Acids under Dicationic Palladium(II)- Catalysis. Organic Letters 2009, 11, 4938-4941.
• Navarro C, Csaky AG. Diastereoselective Synthesis of 1,2,3-trisubstituted Indanes via Rhodium(I)-Catalyzed Tandem Conjugate Additions. Synthesis 2009, 5, 860-863.
• Cochi A, Burger B, Navarro C, Gómez-Pardo D, Cossy J, Zhao Y, Cohen T. Enantioselective Ring Expansion of Prolinols. An Efficient and Short Synthesis of 2-Phenylpiperidin-3-ol Derivatives and 3-Hydroxypipecolic Acids. Synlett 2009, 13, 2157-2161.
• Molina MT, Navarro C, Moreno A, Csaky AG. N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Monoacylation of 1,4-Naphtoquinones with Aldehydes. Journal of Organic Chemistry 2009, 74, 9573-9575.
• Navarro C, Moreno A, Csaky AG. Stereoselective Rhodium(I)- Catalyzed Conjugate Addition of Boronic Acids to Unprotected d-Hydroxy-g-Butenolides. Synthesis of (-)-7-Oxamuricatacin and b-Substituted Derivatives. Journal of Organic Chemistry 2009, 74, 466-469.
• Navarro C. Reacciones de adicion Conjugada de Acidos Boronicos catalizadas por especies de Rh(I). 2008.
• Navarro C, Csaky AG. Stereoselective Rhodium(I)- Catalyzed Tandem Conjugate Addition of Boronic Acids-Michael Cyclization. Organic Letters 2008, 10, 217-219.