Alison Fout
  • Professor
  • Davidson Chair in Science
Research Areas
  • Bioinorganic
  • Catalysis
  • Energy
  • Inorganic
  • Organometallic
  • Sustainability & Green
  • Synthesis

Research Interests

The Fout research program focuses on the synthesis of ligand architectures that can support transition metal complexes capable of mediating unusual transformations for biological, environmental and energy problems. Our main curiosities stem from catalytic, synthetic inorganic, and bioinorganic chemistry. Specifically, the group is interested in using synthesis, reactivity, and detailed mechanistic studies to probe the activation of strong bonds with sustainable catalysts.

Educational Background

  • B.S. Gannon University, 2002
  • M.S. University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2004
  • Ph.D. Indiana University, 2009
  • Mary Fieser and NIH postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University 2009-2012

Awards & Honors

  • 2019 Thieme Chemistry Journals Award
  • 2018 American Chemical Society Emergent Investigator in Bioinorganic Chemistry, Division of Inorganic Chemistry
  • 2018 Helen Corley Petit Scholar, UIUC
  • 2018 Ed Stiefel Young Investigator Award, Metals in Biology GRC
  • 2017 Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar Award
  • 2017 Dalton Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley
  • 2016-2021 Department of Energy Early Career Research Program
  • 2016-2018 Lincoln Excellence Scholar for Assistant Professors, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, UIUC
  • 2016 School of Chemical Sciences Teaching Award, UIUC
  • 2016 New Talent Americas, Dalton Transactions
  • 2015 American Chemical Society Emerging Investigators in Bioinorganic Chemistry, Virtual Issue
  • 2015 Marion Milligan Mason Award for Women in the Chemical Sciences, AAAS
  • 2015 Sloan Research Fellow
  • 2014-2019 NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award
  • 2010 American Chemical Society Division of Inorganic Chemistry Young Investigators Award
  • 2010-2012 NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University
  • 2009 Mary Fieser Postdoctoral Fellowship, Harvard University

Selected Publications

  • Killion, J. A., Darrow, W. T., Brennan, M. R., Leahy, C. A., & Fout, A. R. (Accepted/In press). Cobalt-Catalyzed Kumada Coupling Forming Sterically Encumbered C-C Bonds. Organometallics. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.organomet.1c00513

  • Leahy, C. A., Drummond, M. J., Vura-Weis, J., & Fout, A. R. (2021). Synthesis of a series of M(ii) (M = Mn, Fe, Co) chloride complexes with both inter- And intra-ligand hydrogen bonding interactions. Dalton Transactions, 50(35), 12088-12092. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1dt02585f

  • Muhammad, S. R., Greer, R. B., Ramirez, S. B., Goodson, B. M., & Fout, A. R. (2021). Cobalt-catalyzed hyperpolarization of structurally intact olefins. ACS Catalysis, 11(4), 2011-2020. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.0c03727

  • Muhammad, S. R., Nugent, J. W., Greer, R. B., Lee, B. C., Mahmoud, J., Ramirez, S. B., Goodson, B. M., & Fout, A. R. (2021). Effects of a Tridentate Pincer Ligand on Parahydrogen Induced Polarization. ChemPhysChem, 22(14), 1518-1526. https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.202100178

  • Catalytic Perchlorate Reduction Using Iron: Mechanistic Insights and Improved Catalyst Turnover Drummond, M. J.; Miller, T. J.; Ford, C. L.; Fout, A. R. ACS Catal. 2020, 10, 3175-3182.