Varinder Kumar Aggarwal is a British organic chemist and the Alfred Capper Pass Professor of Chemistry at the University of Bristol. His research centers on asymmetric synthesis, reaction development, and the total synthesis of complex natural products and bioactive molecules.
The Aggarwal Group develops highly stereoselective methods using boron chemistry, sulfur ylides, and cascade reactions to construct complex molecular architectures. These strategies have broad applications in medicinal chemistry, including vaccine adjuvant synthesis and drug development.
He earned his B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and conducted postdoctoral research with Professor Gilbert Stork at Columbia University. After holding academic positions at the University of Bath and University of Sheffield, he joined Bristol in 2000.
He has received major honors including the Corday-Morgan Medal, the Organic Stereochemistry Award, and the Davy Medal of the Royal Society. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and has served on numerous editorial and advisory boards, as well as consulting for pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Celltech.