FACULTY

Faculty

At Westlake, we welcome talented people, outstanding scholars, research fellows, and young scientists from all backgrounds. We expect to have a community of 300 assistant, associate, and full professors (including chair professors), 600 research, teaching, technical support and administrative staff, and 900 postdoctoral fellows in the future.

School of Science
With the founding mission of “Discovering the phenomena of physical world, elucidating the principles of the nature, extend the repertory of knowledge, cultivating first-rate talents in innovation”, the School of Science consists of faculties of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Its research fields cover number theory, analysis, algebra, geometry, condensed matter physics, quantum physics, atomic and molecular and photo physics, catalysis and synthesis, chemical biology, materials chemistry, new analytical methods, theoretical/computational chemistry ultrafast laser spectroscopy, etc. Our school is committed to conduct forward-looking and systematic basic scientific research, cultivate outstanding talents with strong innovation capabilities, and build world-class innovative research platforms.
Dean
Dean

Li Deng

Executive Dean

Professor Li Deng received his B.S. degree from Tsinghua University (1987), M.S. degree from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1990), and Ph.D. degree from Harvard University (1995). He carried out his postdoctoral studies at Harvard with Professors George Whitesides and Gregory Verdine as an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow. He joined Brandeis University as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry in 1998. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2003, to Full Professor and was named the Orrie Friedman Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in 2005. He served as the Chair of the Chemistry Department at Brandies University from 2011 to 2014. He joined Westlake University in July of 2018, found the chemistry department (2019-2023) and is currently the Xu Yiming Endowed Chair Professor, the Vice President in Westlake University, the Executive Dean of School of Science and Chair of University Academic Committee.

 

Professor Deng is widely recognized as a pioneer and leader in the field of organocatalysis. His research focuses on the invention and the development of new catalytic reactions of importance in synthetic organic chemistry. His studies have established new concepts and strategies for weak bonding organocatalysis that are utilized by laboratories around the world for the successful development of numerous new catalysts and reactions. A broad range of reactions invented in his own laboratories have been successfully applied in academic and industrial laboratories. Several of his catalysts have been licensed to pharmaceutical and chemical companies.

Professor Deng serves as consultants for pharmaceutical and chemical companies and as panel members for public and private funding agencies. He has been recognized by several honors and awards, including the Sloan Research Fellowship, Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences (JSPS) Fellowship, the Chan Memorial Award in Organic Chemistry, and the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from American Chemical Society.

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Faculty (Listed in alphabetical order by last name)
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