ZHU Ye

ZHU Ye

Assistant Professor

Personal Web Page

Senior Research Investigator, Bristol-Myers Squibb, 2018; Postdoctoral, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014; Ph.D., The University of Chicago, 2012; B.S., Peking University, 2006.

Contact Information:

Office: S9-14-01C

Tel: (65)-6601-7501

Fax: (65)-6779-1691

Email: chmzhu@nus.edu.sg

Research

ORCID: 0000-0002-8566-576X
ResearcherID: C-4610-2014

Research Interests

Chemical synthesis of biologically relevant molecules remains the rate-limiting step in drug discovery and development despite the tremendous progress that has been made in academia and industry. Our research focuses on inventing and developing enabling chemical tools to address significant synthetic challenges facing biomedical sciences and pharmaceutical industry, thus accelerating creation of potential new medicines. To achieve this goal, our effort will be directed towards:

• Innovating catalytic reactions that are compatible with molecules containing unprotected polar groups and heterocycles;
• Designing and developing novel reagents for late-stage functionalization of complex synthetic molecules and natural products;
• Discovering chemical transformations that are broadly applicable to complex biomolecules under physiological conditions.

Research Highlight

Teaching Contributions  AY2023/2024

• CM3212 Advanced Organic Chemistry
• CM5224 Emerging Concepts in Drug Discovery

Representative Publications  

• Wei, J.; Gandon, V.; Zhu, Y. Amino Acid-Derived Ionic Chiral Catalysts Enable Desymmetrizing Cross-Coupling to Remote Acyclic Quaternary Stereocenters. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 16796–16811.
• On, I.K.W.; Hong, W.; Zhu, Y. Crossing the ortho-hurdle: Ionic stereocontrol enables atroposelective Suzuki−Miyaura coupling. Chem Catalysis 2023, 3, 100523.
• Hai, X.; Zheng, Y.; Yu, Q.; Guo, N.; Xi, S.; Zhao, X.; Mitchell, S.; Luo, X.; Tulus, V.; Wang, M.; Sheng, X.; Ren, L.; Long, X.; Li, J.; He, P.; Lin, H.; Cui, Y.; Peng, X.; Shi, J.; Wu, J.; Zhang, C.; Zou, R.; Guillén-Gosálbez, Gonzalo; Pérez-Ramírez, Javier; Koh, M.J.; Zhu, Y.; Li, J.; Lu, J. Geminal-atom catalysis for cross-coupling. Nature 2023, 622, 754–760.
• Li, M.; Chia, X.L.; Tian, C.; Zhu, Y., Mechanically planar chiral rotaxanes through catalytic desymmetrization. Chem 2022, 8, 2843–2855.
• Lou, Y.; Wei, J.; Li, M.; Zhu, Y., Distal Ionic Substrate–Catalyst Interactions Enable Long-Range Stereocontrol: Access to Remote Quaternary Stereocenters through a Desymmetrizing Suzuki–Miyaura Reaction. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 123–129.
• Li, M.; Chia, X. L.; Zhu. Y., Tethered photocatalyst-directed palladium-catalysed C–H allenylation of N-aryl tetrahydroisoquinolines. Chem. Commun. 2022, 58, 4719–4722.
• Knouse, K. W.; deGruyter, J. N.; Schmidt, M. A.; Zheng, B.; Vantourout, J. C.; Kingston, C.; Mercer, S. E.; Mcdonald, I. M.; Olson, R. E.; Zhu, Y.; Hang, C.; Zhu, J.; Yuan, C.; Wang, Q.; Park, P.; Eastgate, M. D.; Baran, P. S., Unlocking P(V): Reagents for Chiral Phosphorothioate Synthesis. Science 2018, 361, 1234–1238.
• Zhu, Y.; Buchwald, S. L., Ligand-Controlled Asymmetric Arylation of Aliphatic a-Amino Anion Equivalents J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 4500–4503.
• Zhu, Y.; Rawal, V. H., Palladium-Catalyzed C3-Benzylation of Indoles J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 111–114.
• Zhu, Y.; Malerich, J. P.; Rawal, V. H., Squaramide-Catalyzed Enantioselective Michael Addition of Diphenyl Phosphite to Nitroalkenes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 153–156.