Joseph Moran

Prof. Moran’s research aims to understand how life began from the perspective of biological metabolism. His group has shown that several metabolic pathways previously thought to be unique to living systems occur fully or partially without enzymes under conditions that were likely present on the early Earth. The long-term goal is to create abiotic networks of interacting metabolic reactions that can work together to give emergent, lifelike properties. His group is also interested in developing new conceptual approaches to catalysis in areas ranging from organic synthesis to light-matter interactions.

In recognition of his work, Prof. Moran was awarded a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (2023), was named to the Institut Universitaire de France as a Junior Member (2021) and was a two-time grantee of the European Research Council (ERC). He was awarded the Liebig Lectureship from the German Chemical Society (2022), the Forcheurs Jean-Marie Lehn Prize (2020, with Harun Tüysüz), C&EN’s Talented 12 (2018), and the Jean Normant Prize from the French Chemical Society (2018).

***The lab is recruiting graduate students for a start in September. Please contact Dr. Moran by email as soon as possible.***

Selected publications

• Zimmermann, J.; Basar, A. B.; Moran, J. Nonenzymatic Hydration of Phosphoenolpyruvate: General Conditions for Hydration in Protometabolism by Searching Across Pathways. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e202410698.
• Muller, C.; Piejko, M.; Bascil, S.; Moran, J. The Diels–Alder Reaction as a Mechanistic Probe for Vibrational Strong Coupling. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e202509391.
• Zimmermann, J.; Werner, E.; Sodei, S.; Moran, J. Pinpointing Conditions for a Metabolic Origin of Life: Underlying Mechanisms and the Role of Coenzymes. Acc. Chem. Res. 2024, 57, 3032–3043.
• Mayer, R. J.; Moran, J. Metal Ions Turn on a Stereoselective Nonenzymatic Reduction of Keto Acids by the Coenzyme NADH. Chem 2024, 10, 2564–2576.
• Muller, C.; Mayer, R. J.; Piejko, M.; Patrahau, B.; Bauer, V.; Moran, J. Measuring Kinetics under Vibrational Strong Coupling: Testing for a Change in the Nucleophilicity of Water and Alcohols. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202410770.
• Patrahau, B.; Piejko, M.; Mayer, R. J.; Antheaume, C.; Sangchai, T.; Ragazzon, G.; Jayachandran, A.; Devaux, E.; Genet, C.; Moran, J.; Ebbesen, T. W. Direct Observation of Polaritonic Chemistry by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202401368.
• Werner, E.; Pinna, S.; Mayer, R. J.; Moran, J. Metal/ADP Complexes Promote Phosphorylation of Ribonucleotides. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 21630–21637.
• Dherbassy, Q.; Mayer, R. J.; Muchowska, K. B.; Moran, J. Metal-Pyridoxal Cooperativity in Nonenzymatic Transamination. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 13357–13370.
• Mayer, R. J.; Moran, J. Quantifying Reductive Amination in Nonenzymatic Amino Acid Synthesis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202212237.
• Yi, J.; Kaur, H.; Kazöne, W.; Rauscher, S. A.; Gravillier, L.; Muchowska, K. B.; Moran, J. A Nonenzymatic Analog of Pyrimidine Nucleobase Biosynthesis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202117211.
• Rauscher, S. A.; Moran, J. Hydrogen Drives Part of the Reverse Krebs Cycle under Metal or Meteorite Catalysis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202212932.
• Mayer, R. J.; Kaur, H.; Rauscher, S. A.; Moran, J. “Mechanistic Insight into Metal Ion-Catalyzed Transamination.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 19099-19111.
• Chatelain, P.; Muller, C.; Sau, A.; Brykczyńska, D.; Bahadori, M.; Rowley, C. N.; Moran, J. Desulfonative Suzuki–Miyaura Coupling of Sulfonyl Fluorides. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 25307–25312.
• Zhang, S.; Vayer, M.; Noël, F.; Vuković, V. D.; Golushko, A.; Rezajooei, N.; Rowley, C. N.; Lebœuf, D.; Moran, J. Unlocking the Friedel-Crafts Arylation of Primary Aliphatic Alcohols and Epoxides Driven by Hexafluoroisopropanol. Chem 2021, 7, 3425–3441.
• Sau, A.; Nagarajan, K.; Patrahau, B.; Lethuillier-Karl, L.; Vergauwe, R. M. A.; Thomas, A.; Moran, J.; Genet, C.; Ebbesen, T. W. Modifying Woodward–Hoffmann Stereoselectivity Under Vibrational Strong Coupling. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 5712–5717.
• Muchowska, K B.; Varma, S. J.; Moran, J. “Nonenzymatic metabolic reactions and life’s origins.” Chem. Rev. 2020, 120, 7708-7744.
• Preiner, M.; Igarashi, K.; Muchowska, K. B.; Yu, M.; Varma, S. J.; Kleinermanns, K.; Nobu, M. K.; Kamagata, Y.; Tüysüz, H.; Moran, J. Martin, W. F. “A hydrogen dependent geochemical analogue of primordial carbon and energy metabolism” Nat. Ecol. Evol. 2020, 4, 534-542.
• Muchowska, K. B..; Varma, S. J.; Moran, J. “Synthesis and breakdown of universal metabolic precursors promoted by iron” Nature 2019, 569, 104-107.
• Thomas, A.; Lethuillier-Karl, L.; Nagarajan, K.; Vergauwe, R. M. A.; George, J.; Chervy, T.; Shalabney, A.; Devaux, E.; Genet, C.; Moran, J.; Ebbesen, T. W. “Tilting a ground state reactivity landscape by vibrational strong coupling” Science 2019, 363, 615-619.
• Varma, S. J.; Muchowska, K. B.; Chatelain, P.; Moran, J. “Native iron reduces CO₂ to intermediates and end-products of the acetyl CoA pathway”, Nat. Ecol. Evol. 2018, 2, 1019-1024.
• Muchowska, K. B.; Varma, S. J.; Chevallot-Beroux, E.; Lethuillier-Karl, L.; Li, G.; Moran, J. “Metals promote sequences of the reverse Krebs cycle” Nat. Ecol. Evol. 2017, 1, 1716-1721.