Adronov Research Group


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Dr. Alex Adronov
Professor
Ph.D. UC Berkeley
B.Sc. McMaster University

The Adronov Group focuses on organic synthesis for the preparation of novel monomers and polymeric structures, including conjugated polymers used in the functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes. Additional areas of focus involve dendrimer synthesis for therapeutic and diagnostic imaging applications.

Brief Biography

Alex Adronov was born in Kaunas, Lithuania (part of former USSR), and immigrated to Canada with his family when he was 7 years old. He grew up in Windsor, Ontario, and attended W. C. Kennedy Collegiate Institute (secondary school). He received his B.Sc. degree in Honours Biological Chemistry from McMaster University in 1996. During his undergraduate studies, he participated in research projects within the groups of Professors Francoise Winnik (summer, 1994) and Cornelia Bohne (summer, 1995), during which time he developed his interest in polymers, chromophores, and fluorescence spectroscopy. His senior thesis was carried out in the group of Professor Michael Brook, solidifying his interest in synthetic polymer chemistry. He then went on to graduate studies in the group of Professor Jean M. J. Frechet at UC Berkeley. His thesis project, entitled "Light Harvesting Dendrimers", involved the synthesis and study of chromophore-functionalized dendrimers that exhibited non-radiative energy transfer characteristics (Chem. Commun. 2000, 1701). He received his Ph.D. in 2001, and immediately took up an Assistant Professor position at McMaster University, where he has been ever since. He was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure in 2007, and Professor in 2013. He also served as Associate Chair of Graduate Studies and Associate Chair of Research in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology from 2009 to 2019, and has also served as Acting Chair of the department for 6 months in 2019. Currently, he is the Director of the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, a position he started in 2020.

Honours and Awards

Macromolecular Science and Engineering Division Award (2018)
McMaster Student Union (MSU) Award for Excellence in Teaching (2017)
Award for Research Excellence in Materials Chemistry (2013)
Lash Miller Award (2007)
Premier’s Research Excellence Award (2003)
John C. Polanyi Prize (2002)
Kodak Fellowship for Graduate Studies in Chemistry, UC Berkeley (1997-2001)
Department Fellowship, Department of Chemistry, UC Berkeley (1997)
Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) PGS (1996)
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (1996)
Dow Canada Award for Excellence in Teaching (1996)
Canada Scholarship, McMaster University (1992-1996)
Dr. Harry Lyman Hooker In-Course Scholarship, McMaster University (1992-1995)
Crispin Calvo Prize, McMaster University (1995)
NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Assistant, University of Victoria (1995)
Chemical Institute of Canada (Hamilton Section) Prize, McMaster University (1994)
McMaster University Scholarship (1994)
NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Assistant, McMaster University (1994)
Governor General's Medal (1992)

Contact Info

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
McMaster University
1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1
Office: ABB 419
tel: (905) 525-9140 x23514
fax: (905) 521-2773
Email:
adronov(at)mcmaster.ca