Ley's main research field are thetotal synthesis ofbiomolecules. His group has published extensively on this topic, and has completed the synthesis of more than 140 natural target compounds, with notable examples including indanamycin, routiennocin, avermectin B1a, okadaic acid, spongistatin,thapsigargin,epothilone A, antascomicin B, bengazole A andrapamycin. His total synthesis ofazadirachtin, completed in 2007, is widely regarded as one of the major landmarks in total synthesis. In the course of this work, he has also made substantial advances in many areas of organic chemistry, including the development of newcatalysts,protecting groups andreagents. He is one of the inventors ofTPAP, a widely employed oxidising reagent. He has also pioneered the use of immobilised reagents and flow techniques in multi-step organic synthesis. This work now incorporatesflow chemistry for multistep organic synthesis applications.
By 2020, Ley had published 888 academic research papers spanning his career of 50 years.[9]
2004 The Messel Medal Lecture, Society of Chemical Industry[citation needed]
2004 Innovation of the Year Award: Jointly with AstraZeneca, Avecia and Syngenta, Chemical Industries Association[citation needed]
2004 iChemE Award for Innovation in Applied Catalysis. The iAc Award[citation needed]
2004 Teamwork in Innovation Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry as part of Merck Chemicals Ltd; a team from Syngenta, Avecia, Cambridge University and Astrazeneca[28]
^Ley, Steven V.; Thomas, Andrew W. (2003). "Modern Synthetic Methods for Copper-Mediated C(aryl)—O, C(aryl)—N, and C(aryl)—S Bond Formation".Angewandte Chemie International Edition.42 (44):5400–5449.doi:10.1002/anie.200300594.ISSN1433-7851.PMID14618572.
