"Westlake University is a wonderful platform for researchers with true dedication, passion, persistence and imagination.”
Biography
Pengfei Hu received Master’s degree (2014) at East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) under the supervision of Prof. Xiaofeng Tong. He then joined Prof. Scott A. Snyder’s group and earned his PhD degree in August 2019 at University of Chicago. From September 2019 to March 2021, Pengfei conducted postdoc research at Phil S. Baran’s lab at The Scripps Research Institute, where he was a Hewitt Foundation Fellow working on synthetic electrochemistry. Dr. Hu is currently an assistant professor at Westlake University since April 2021. His research interest is total synthesis of bioactive natural product, synthetic electrochemical chemistry, and medicinal chemistry.
History
We are actively recruiting talented and dedicated postdocs, graduate students and undergrads.
Postdoc applicants with synthetic methodologies, synthetic electrochemistry and natural product synthesis backgrounds are welcome to apply.
Applicants should send a CV, a research summary (up to 5 pages) and two recommendation letters.
PhD applicants are welcome to apply for the Westlake PhD program. Please contact the graduate office or email me directly.
Undergrad students interested in internship or research assistant positions are welcome to email me directly.
Research
Dr Hu’s research centers on developing efficient and scalable chemical synthesis of complex, biologically active molecules. This mission includes the pursuit of new guidelines for synthesizing natural products with densely functionalized skeleton and new approaches to harness the reactivity and selectivity of highly reactive intermediates.
Representative Publications
1. Pengfei Hu, Byron Peters, Christian A. Malapit, Julien C. Vantourout, Pan Wang, Jinjun Li, Lucas Mele, Pierre-Georges Echeverria, Shelley D. Minteer, Phil S. Baran. Electroreductive Olefin Ketone Coupling. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 20979.
2. Pengfei Hu, Hyung Min Chi,¶ Kenneth C. DeBacker, Xu Gong, Jonathan H. Keim, Ian Tingyung Hsu, Scott A. Snyder. Quaternary Center-Guided Synthesis: Concise Preparations of Complex Polycyclic Terpenes. Nature 2019, 569, 703.
3. Heng Yi,¶ Pengfei Hu¶, Scott A. Snyder. Development and Elucidation of a Pd-based Cyclization/Oxygenation Sequence for Natural Product Synthesis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 2674.
4. Pengfei Hu, Scott A. Snyder. Enantiospecific Total Synthesis of the Highly Strained (−)-Presilphiperfolan-8-ol via a Pd-Catalyzed Tandem Cyclization. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 5007.
5. Pengfei Hu, Jian Hu, Jiajun Jiao, Xiaofeng Tong. Amine-Promoted Asymmetric (4 + 2) Annulations for the Enantioselective Synthesis of Tetrahydropyridines: A Traceless and Recoverable Auxiliary Strategy. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 5319.
Selected honors and awards：
1. Hewitt Foundation Fellowship for Medical Research (2020)
2. Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad (2020)
3. Elizabeth R. Norton Prize for Excellence in Research in Chemistry (2019)
4. Bristol-Myers Squibb Graduate Fellowship in Synthetic Organic Chemistry (2018)
5. William Rainey Harper Dissertation Fellowship (one of UChicago’s highest honors) (2018)
6. Morris Selig Kharasch Lecture Graduate Fellowship (2018)
7. Chancellor Siwei Cheng’s Award (2014)
8. National Scholarship for Outstanding Graduate Students of China (2013)
Contact Us
Email: hupengfei@westlake.edu.cn