Kyle M. Lancaster

Professor

Overview

The Lancaster Group employs synthesis, biochemistry, and a broad range of spectroscopic methods––with an emphasis on synchrotron-based core spectroscopies––to explore reactivity mediated by transition metal complexes and metalloenzymes. The group currently focuses on transformations pertinent to the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle and to C–H functionalization.

More information and the group's latest news can be found at here.

Awards and Honors

2024 Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry Early Career Award
2023 Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry
2022 Morgan Chia-Wen Sze and Bobbi Josephine Hernandez Distinguished Teaching Prize
2019 National Fresenius Award – Phi Lambda Upsilon/American Chemical Society
2018 Kavli Fellow – National Academy of Sciences
2018 Dreyfus Foundation Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry Mentor
2018 Paul Saltman Award – Gordon Research Conferences, Metals in Biology
2017 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
2015 National Science Foundation CAREER Award
2015 Department of Energy Office of Science Early Career Award
2013 Forbes 30 Under 30: Science and Health
2005 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

Publications

Bioinorganic Chemistry of the Nitrogen Cycle

Bollmeyer, M. M.; Coleman, R. E.; Majer, S. H.; Ferrao, S. D.; Lancaster, K. M. Cytochrome P460 Cofactor Maturation Proceeds via Peroxide- Dependent Post-Translational Modification, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 14404–14416.
Coleman, R.E.; Vilbert, A.C.; Lancaster, K.M. The Heme–Lys Cross-Link in Cytochrome P460 Promotes Catalysis by Enforcing Secondary Coordination Sphere Architecture, Biochemistry 2020, 59, 2289-2298.
Ferousi, C.; Majer, S.H.; DiMucci, I.M.; Lancaster, K.M. Biological and Bioinspired Inorganic N–N Bond-Forming Reactions, Chem. Rev. 2020, 120, 5252-5307.
Smith, M.A.; Majer, S.H.; Vilbert, A.C.; Lancaster, K.M. Controlling a burn: outer-sphere gating of hydroxylamine oxidation by a distal base in cytochrome P460, Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 3756-3764.
Lancaster, K.M.; Caranto, J.D.; Majer, S.H.; Smith, M.A. Alternative Bioenergy: Updates to and Challenges in Nitrification Metalloenzymology, Joule 2018, 2, 421–441.
Vilbert, A.C.; Caranto, J.D; Lancaster, K.M. Influences of the Heme-lysine Crosslink in Cytochrome P460 over Redox Catalysis and Nitric Oxide Sensitivity, Chem. Sci. 2018, 9, 368–379.
Caranto, J.D.; Lancaster, K.M. Nitric Oxide is an Obligate Bacterial Nitrification Intermediate Produced by Hydroxylamine Oxidoreductase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2017, 31, 8217–8222.
Caranto, J. D.; Vilbert, A. C.; Lancaster, K. M. Nitrosomonas europaea Cytochrome P460 Is a Direct Link between Nitrification and Nitrous Oxide Emission. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2016, 113, 14704–14709.

Transition Metal Electronic Structure/X-ray Spectroscopy

DiMucci, I. M.; Titus, C. J.; Nordlund, D. N.; Bour, J. R.; Chong, E.; Grigas, D. P.; Hu, C.-H.; Kosobokov, M. D.; Martin, C. D.; Mirica, L. M.; Nebra, N. ; Vicic, D. A.; Yorks, L. L.; Yruegas, S.; MacMillan, S. N.; Shearer, J.; Lancaster, K. M. Scrutinizing Formally Ni^IV Centers through the Lenses of Core Spectroscopy, Molecular Orbital Theory, and Valence Bond Theory. Chem. Sci. 2023, 14, 6915–6929.
DiMucci, I.M.; Lukens, J.T.; Chatterjee, S.; Carsch, K.M.; Titus, C.J.; Lee, S.J.; Nordlund, D.; Betley, T.A.; MacMillan, S.N.; Lancaster, K.M. The Myth of d⁸ Copper(III), J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 18508-18520.
Carsch, K.M.; DiMucci, I.M.; Iovan, D.A.; Li, A.; Zheng, S.; Titus, C.J.; Lee, S.J.; Irwin, K.D.; Nordlund, D.; Lancaster, K.M.; Betley, T.A., Synthesis of a copper-supported triplet nitrene complex pertinent to copper-catalyzed amination, Science 2019, 365, 1138-1143.
Lukens, J.T.; DiMucci, I.M.; Kurogi, T.; Mindiola, D.J.; Lancaster, K.M., Scrutinizing metal–ligand covalency and redox non-innocence via nitrogen K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy, Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 5044–5055.
MacMillan, S. N.; Lancaster, K. M. X-ray Spectroscopic Interrogation of Transition Metal-Mediated Homogeneous Catalysis: Primer and Case Studies. ACS Catalysis, 2017, 7, 1776–1791.
Walroth, R. C.; Lukens, J. T.; MacMillan, S. N.; Finkelstein, K. D.; Lancaster, K. M. Spectroscopic Evidence for a 3d¹⁰ Ground State Electronic Configuration and Ligand Field Inversion in [Cu(CF₃)₄]^1– J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 1922–1931.

In the news

678A ST Olin
kml236@cornell.edu
607/255-0502

Education

Postdoc, Cornell University
PhD Chemistry, California Institute of Technology
BA Molecular Biology, Pomona College

Departments and programs

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Affiliated Colleges

College of Arts and Sciences

Keywords

inorganic chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, synthesis, outer-sphere coordination, small-molecule activation, climate change, nitrogen cycle