Research Experience
2008 – present Professor(Cheung Kong Professor since 2015), College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University; (Principal Investigator, Theoretical and Synthetic Organic Chemistry Lab, PKU)
2004 – 2008 Associate Professor, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University
2001 – 2004 Postdoctoral Associate, with Professor K. N. Houk (2002-2004), and Prof K .N. Houk. Prof. M. Mascal (2001-2002)，Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of California, Los Angeles
1997– 2001Ph.D, Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Computational Chemistry Thesis: Theoretical Studies of Organic Reactions (Research Advisor: Professor Yun-Dong Wu)
1994 – 1997 MS, Department of Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing, China Synthetic Organic Chemistry Thesis: Synthesis of Amphiphatic Molecules toward an Understanding of the F0F1-ATPase Structure (Research Advisor: Professor Qingzhong Zhou)
1987 – 1991 BS, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China Majored in Inorganic Chemistry；
2010,1 – 2010,7 Visiting Scholar, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University (with Professor Eric N. Jacobsen)
2012,6 – 2012,8 Visiting Professor, Department of Chemistry, Duke University (with Professor Weitao Yang)
Research Interests
Computational and Synthetic Organic Chemistry, medicinal Chem.
Joining Forces of Computation and Organic Synthesis to
(1) Study Reaction Mechanisms;
(2) Discover, Design and Develop New Reactions;
(3) Synthesize Natural and Non-natural Products;
(4) Design and Develop New Drug Leads.
Awards,Honors,and Recognitions
- Bayer Investigator Award at PKU, 2018.
- Wuxi Pharma Life Science Research Scholar Award, 2018.
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, 2016.
- Cheung Kong Professorship, Ministry of Education, China, 2015.
- Nankai University Lectureship on Organic Chemistry, 2014.
- Advisor of the Best 100 Ph.D Theses in China, 2012, Ministry of Education, China.
- The Asian Core Program Lectureship Award (Singapore), the Asian Cutting-Edge Organic Chemistry programs, 2012.
- Chinese Chemical Society-Sci Finder Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, 2011.
- Chinese Chemical Society-Physical Organic Chemistry Award, 2011.
- Chinese Chemical Society-BASF Award, 2011.
- Distinguished Lectureship Award, the Asian Symposium of Annual Meeting of Chemical Society of Japan, 2010.
- The Asian Core Program Lectureship Award (Japan), the Asian Cutting-Edge Organic Chemistry programs, 2008.
- The National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China, 2008.
- The Young Chemist Award, the Chinese Chemical Society & the Royal Society of Chemistry, 2008.
- Thieme Synlett/Synthesis Journal Award, 2008.
- Nominated for the Chancellor's Award for Postdoctoral Research, University of California, Los Angeles, 2004.
- Research Excellence Award, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, 2004.
Selected Publications
- “An Unexpected Role of A Trace Amount of Water in Catalyzing Proton Transfer in Phosphine-Catalyzed (3+2) Cycloaddition of Allenoates and Alkenes”， Yuanzhi Xia, Yong Liang, Yuanyuan Chen, Ming Wang, Lei Jiao, Feng Huang, Song Liu, Yahong Li, Zhi-Xiang Yu,* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 3470.
- “A Frontier Molecular Orbital Theory Approach to Understanding the Mayr Equation and to Quantifying Nucleophilicity and Electrophilicity by Using HOMO and LUMO Energies”， Lian-Gang Zhuo, Wei Liao, and Zhi-Xiang Yu,* Asian J. Org. Chem., 2012, 1, 336.
- “Vinylcyclopropane Derivatives in Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Cycloadditions for the Synthesis of Carbocyclic Compounds”，Lei Jiao and Zhi-Xiang Yu,* J. Org. Chem., 2013, 78, 6842.
- “Rhodium-Catalyzed [5 + 2 + 1] Cycloaddition of Ene–Vinylcyclopropanes and CO: Reaction Design, Development, Application in Natural Product Synthesis, and Inspiration for Developing New Reactions for Synthesis of Eight-Membered Carbocycles”， Yi Wang and Zhi-Xiang Yu,* Acc. Chem. Res. 2015, 48, 2288.
- “Asymmetric Total Synthesis of (–)-Clovan-2,9-dione Using Rhodium(I)-Catalyzed [3+2+1] Cycloaddition of 1-Yne-vinylcyclopropane and CO ”， Jun Yang, Wenbo Xu, Qi Cui, Xing Fan, Lu-Ning Wang, and Zhi-Xiang Yu,* Org. Lett., 2017, 19, 6040.
