Yu Zhao

Yu obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from Peking University in 2002, and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Boston College in 2008 under the guidance of Prof. Marc L. Snapper and Prof. Amir H. Hoveyda. After that, he worked with Nobel laureate Prof. Richard R. Schrock at MIT as a postdoctoral associate in the field of organometallic chemistry. In 2011, Yu was awarded the prestigious NRF fellowship from singapore and joined Department of Chemistry at NUS as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in July 2017. His research program at NUS focuses on the discovery and development of efficient catalytic methodology to promote sustainable chemical synthesis as well as application to medicinal chemistry and material science.

Recognition and Achievements

• Asian Rising Stars Lectureship Award, 18th Asian Chemical Congress, 2019
• Tokyo Chemical Industry-SNIC Industry Award in Synthetic Chemistry, 2018
• Thieme Chemistry Journal Award, 2016
• Faculty Young Scientist Award, NUS, 2015

Research Interests

Research interests of our lab lie in the discovery and development of efficient, selective as well as economical catalytic methods for chemical synthesis, with an emphasis on asymmetric catalysis. Application of the new methods toward the synthesis of molecules with a complex structure and/or useful functions will serve as a testament of the efficacy of the method development. Ultimately, the goal is to provide new chemical tools to bear on contemporary problems in the applied areas such as pharmaceuticals, chemical biology and material science.