Education
2019 – Present Ph. D., Chemistry, Insitut Catala D’Investigació Quimica (ICIQ)
2017 – 2019 M. Sc., Chemistry, University of Ottawa *Grade Point Average = 9.8 / 10
2012 – 2016 B. Sc., Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, York University

Recognitions
2019 70th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Nominee (European Commission)
2019 – Present PREBIST Fellowship BIST PhD Fellowship Programme
2019 2nd ICIQ Ph D. Day Best Poster Award

Publications
1. Day, C.; Somerville, R. J.; Martin, R. Deciphering the Ni-Catalyzed Functionalization of Strong Sigma sp2 C-O Bonds: a Counterintuitive Dichotomy Exerted by ZnCl2 in Catalysis. Submitted
2. Zu, W.; Day, C.; Wei, L.; Jia, X.; Xu, L. ¨Dual Aminoquinolate Diarylboron and Nickel Catalysed Metallaphotoredox Platform for Carbon-Oxygen Bond Construction.¨ Chem. Commun. 2020, 56 (59), 8273–8276.
3. Day C. S., Fogg D. E. “High-Yield Synthesis of a Long-Sought, Labile Ru-NHC Reagent, and Its Application to the Concise Synthesis of Second-Generation Metathesis Catalysts” Organometallics, 2018, 37, 24, 4551-4555. Article
4. Bailey G. A.; Foscato M., Higman C.S., Day C.S., Jensen V., Fogg D.E. “Bimolecular Coupling as a Vector for Decomposition of Fast-Initiating Olefin Metathesis Catalysts.”. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 6931-6944. Article
5. Day, C. S.; Saldarriaga, A.; Tilley, M.; Hunter, H.; Organ, M. G.; Wilson, D. “A Single-stage, Continuous High Efficiency Extraction Device (HEED) for Flow Synthesis” Org Process Res & Dev 2016, 20, 1738. Article

My research focuses on understanding chemistries leading catalytic transformations that use nickel metals as catalysts. Unravelling these mechanisms offers us the potential to rationally, and systematically improve these transformations to become more environmentally friendly, economical and have broader applicability. Tackling these challenges is critical to transitioning these reactions from curiosities developed in academic laboratories to implementing them in an industrial setting.

Particularly, we are interested in the valorisation of abundant chemical feedstocks such as CO2 or lignin derivatives. Transforming these feedstocks into value added products is critical to sustainable chemistry, however, many of reactions developed in academic laboratories that utilize these feedstock chemicals suffer from limited applicably. Hence, studying these reactions we can improve the efficiency of these processes to become more robust and desirable. These studies are performed using fundamental principles of organometallic reactivity, where well-defined complexes are probed by spectroscopic and kinetic means. With this understanding, improved catalytic conditions can then be developed in a logical manner.