Cathleen M. Crudden is a Canadian chemist. She is a Canada Research Chair in Metal Organic Chemistry at Queen's University at Kingston, as well as an Allie Vi Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Queen's University at Kingston and a Research Professor at the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM) at Nagoya University in Japan. She is the Scientific Director of the Carbon to Metal Coating Institute (C2MCI) at Queen’s University.
Crudden is a world class scientist whose research on the use of organic coatings to modify metal surfaces has garnered international recognition. Specifically, her work related to developing organic ligands for metal surfaces has been transformative not only in her field of chemistry, but also in physics and materials science, with potential applications in biology and medicine.
As a result of her research excellence, she is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, an elected international member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada, Fellow of the American Chemical Society, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK). As a highly sought after mentor, she has supervised over 200 students. In June 2023, the Canadian Journal of Chemistry dedicated a special issue to Crudden in honour of her scientific achievements, featuring research conducted by students she has mentored.[3]
Education
Crudden earned a Bachelor of Science at the University of Toronto in 1989, working with Mark Lautens, with whom she went on to complete her Master's degree.[4] She moved to the University of Ottawa for her PhD, working under the supervision of Howard Alper, which she completed in 1995.[5] During this time, she completed a research exchange with Shinji Murai at Osaka University in Japan.
Research and career
After completing her Ph.D., Crudden was awarded a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign working with Scott E. Denmark in 1995.[4] She moved to University of New Brunswick (UNB) in 1996 as an Assistant Professor and was granted early promotion and tenure in 2000.[6] In 2001, she became one of the first cohorts of University Research Professors at UNB. In 2002, she was recruited to Queen's University as a Queen’s National Scholar and moved her research lab to Kingston, Ontario.
Crudden’s early significant contribution was her identification of an enantiospecificSuzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of chiral boranes.[7] Cross-coupling reactions are essential tools for the manufacturing of many pharmaceutical molecules, and Crudden was the first to demonstrate that it is possible to carry out this type of reaction in an enantiospecific manner by controlling chirality, a key property of most biologically active molecules.
In 2014, Crudden designed highly stable carbon-based self-assembled monolayer s for metal surfaces based on N-heterocyclic carbenes.[3][8] Crudden’s research proved that small carbon-based molecules, called N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) molecules, could bind to metals to form exceptionally stable organic films resistant to oxidation, solvents, and extreme temperatures.[9]
From December 2012 onwards, Crudden has worked as a Research Professor at the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules, based out of Nagoya University in Japan, where she oversees a satellite lab. She is one of only a few international faculty members at the Institute.[11][12]
In 2015, as Principal Investigator of a group of ten collaborators, Crudden was awarded $8.8 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation for major infrastructure purchases.[13] She won the Queen's University Research Opportunities Fund, which she used to create inexpensive, sensitive biosensors.[14]
In 2016, Crudden and the late Dr. Suning Wang held a trilateral Canada-Japan-Germany symposium at Queen's University titled Elements Functions for Transformative Catalysis and Materials, where researchers presented their latest discoveries related to catalysis and materials chemistry based on main-group elements.
In 2017, Crudden was recognized as a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Metal Organic Chemistry, securing Queen's University $200,000 in research funding annually for seven years. Crudden’s status as a Canada Research Chair was renewed for an additional seven-year term spanning 2023-2031, the maximum allowable term permitted.
In 2018, Crudden was recognized as having made the most distinguished contribution to the field of catalysis by the Chemical Institute of Canada and was awarded the Catalysis Award.[12]
In May 2022, Crudden received $24M in support from Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund and founded the Carbon to Metal Coating Institute (C2MCI), an interdisciplinary, international research institute dedicated to developing cutting edge solutions to prevent the corrosion of metals and enable their manipulation and stabilization on macro, micro, and nano length scales.[11]
In November 2025, Crudden was named the Ambassador in Chemical Sciences of the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and embarked on a series of lecture tours across several laboratories in France.[15]
In the media
Crudden makes regular appearances across various media outlets as an expert in the field of organic chemistry, catalysis and materials science. Her commentary frequently concerns new developments in chemistry.[16][15][17][18][19]
In July 2023, Crudden’s achievements were celebrated in a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Chemistry.[3] Featuring an introduction focusing on Crudden's influence on science and her trainees, the journal issue included contributions from colleagues, former students, postdoctoral fellows, and mentees who had been directly inspired by her work and leadership. The collection of papers covered a broad range of research related to Crudden’s career, including organic synthesis, catalysis, materials design, and applications.
Crudden and her research group have an active social media presence, maintaining accounts on LinkedIn[19] and Bluesky.[20]
Awards
2025 Shortlist for Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year in Physical Sciences[21]
↑Crudden, Cathleen M.; Alper, Howard (1 June 1994). "The regioselective hydroformylation of vinylsilanes. A remarkable difference in the selectivity and reactivity of cobalt, rhodium, and iridium catalysts". The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 59 (11): 3091–3097. doi:10.1021/jo00090a029. ISSN0022-3263.
↑Imao, Daisuke; Glasspoole, Ben W.; Laberge, Véronique S.; Crudden, Cathleen M. (15 April 2009). "Cross Coupling Reactions of Chiral Secondary Organoboronic Esters With Retention of Configuration". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 131 (14): 5024–5025. Bibcode:2009JAChS.131.5024I. doi:10.1021/ja8094075. ISSN0002-7863. PMID19301820.
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