Allen Oliver
Research Professor; Director, Molecular Structure Facility
- Office
- 149 Stepan Chemistry
Notre Dame, IN 46556 - Phone
- +1 574-631-5935
- aoliver2@nd.edu
Research Areas
- Inorganic Chemistry
Research Specialties
- Materials
- Measurement
Prospective Graduate Students
Biography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2013-present | Research Professor, University of Notre Dame |
| 2008-2013 | Associate Research Professor, University of Notre Dame |
| 2006-2008 | Associate Specialist, University of California, Santa Cruz |
| 2002-2006 | Assistant Specialist, University of California, Berkeley |
| 2000-2002 | Postdoctoral Research Scholar, University of California, Berkeley |
| 2000 | Ph.D. in Chemistry, Waikato University, New Zealand |
| 1994 | M.S. in Chemistry, Waikato University, New Zealand |
| 1993 | B.S. in Chemistry, Waikato University, New Zealand |
Selected Awards
2024-2025 President of the American Crystallographic Association
2023-2024 Vice President of the American Crystallographic Association
2023 College of Science Outstanding Research Scientist Award
Research Interests
Crystallography is the study of crystals, their form and structure. In chemistry, we most commonly use crystallography to determine the composition and connectivity of the atoms that make up crystals. From this we can get the 3D molecular structure or the extended structure, which is useful to answer questions of coordination, connectivity, function, reactivity, biological activity, and more. Here at Notre Dame, we use crystallography to study models for the heme site in proteins, to study drug candidates, metal-organic frameworks, and the structure of carbohydrates, as well to study more basic questions of coordination chemistry.
The Molecular Structure Facility is a department resource providing single-crystal X-ray structure determinations for researchers both within the department and without. We perform hundreds of experiments each year, using three state of the art instruments. Most of the experiments are performed by students for their own research after coursework and individual training in crystallography.
Selected Publications
- Stefaniak, M. A.; Gondil, V. S.; Gillis, E. P.; Nemeth, A. M.; Oliver, A. G.; Melander, R. J.; Dunman, P. M. and Melander, C. "Exploration of a Benzothiophene Scaffold for use as Adjuvants with β-Lactam Antibiotics Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus" 2026 RSC Medicinal Chemistry, 17 (5), pp.2444–2454. DOI: 10.1039/d5md01109d.
- Weaver, M. C.; Oliver, A. G. and Barstis, T. "Hydrochlorides, Hydrates, Hydronitrate, and an Unanticipated Hydrolysis Product of Famotidine" 2026 Acta Crystallographica Section C-Structural Chemistry, 82, pp.241–249. DOI: 10.1107/S2053229626004122.
- Sohail, M.; Heinsen, C.; Oliver, A. G. and Tsui, E. Y. "Sulfur Insertion into Group 12 Metal Dithiolate Complexes: Metal-Dependent Equilibria" 2026 Dalton Transactions, 55 (10), pp.4119–4127. DOI: 10.1039/d6dt00074f.
- Aimiuwu, E. E.; Duda, D. P.; Oliver, A. G.; Dixon, D. A. and Carrick, J. D. "Synthesis of 3,5-Disubstituted-(1H-) and (2H-) Heteroaryl-1,2,4-Triazoles Via an Oxidative Annulation Strategy" 2026 Journal of Organic Chemistry, 91 (7), pp.2900–2914. DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.5c03029.
- de Paula, R.; Duarte, V. S.; D'Oliveira, G.; de Castro, M.; Pérez, C. N.; Custódio, J.; Oliver, A. G. and Napolitano, H. B. "The Nitro-Chloro Substitution on Two Quinolinone-Chalcones: From Molecular Modeling to Antioxidant Potential" 2026 ACS Omega, 11 (6), pp.10269–10279. DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.5c11439.
- Gorbet, M. J.; Prior, T. J.; Oliver, A. G.; Krause, J. A. and Hubin, T. J. "Synthesis and Characterization of Palladium(II) Complexes of Cross-Bridged Tetraazamacrocycles" 2026 Inorganics, 14 (2), 42. DOI: 10.3390/inorganics14020042.