Surya Pratap Singh, a doctoral candidate in the University of Oklahoma Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been awarded the People’s Choice Award in the 2025 Spring edition of the 3-Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®) hosted by the OU Graduate College.
The 3MT challenge asks participants to present their master’s or doctoral research in only three minutes, using a single static slide and with no other visual aids. The aim is to make the research understandable and compelling to a non-specialist audience in that short time.
In his presentation, Surya Singh distilled his advanced work on stereoselective glycosylation and organometallic catalysis — topics deep within synthetic chemistry — into a clear story of how new catalytic systems can advance efficient, sustainable pathways. His ability to make such high-level chemistry accessible and engaging clearly resonated with the live audience.
Surya’s doctoral research is conducted under the guidance of the Indrajeet Sharma lab in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, where his work explores earth-abundant metal catalysis, carbene and nitrene intermediates, and stereoselective transformations of complex molecules. His current projects include developing iron-based catalysts for stereoselective glycosylation reactions and applying visible-light and transition-metal catalysis to access novel molecular scaffolds efficiently. The significance of his work lies in advancing more sustainable catalytic systems, reducing reliance on precious metals, and improving synthetic access to molecules of pharmaceutical or biological interest.
The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry congratulates Surya Pratap Singh on this impressive accomplishment and thanks the OU Graduate College for hosting a competition that spotlights both research excellence and communication skill. The future is bright for his work — and for the chemistry community here at OU.
