Educational Background
From 2000 to 2005, MIT received a doctorate in organic chemistry from Professor Gregory Fu
1994-2000 received the degree of science and master of Science in Chemistry under the guidance of Professor LOH Teck Peng of National University of Singapore
Work Experience
2019 investigator,associate Professor, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University
From 2008 to 2019, he served as an assistant professor, advanced research scientist and researcher of the National Research Foundation of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University
2005-2008 Yale University and later received post doctoral training in Professor John Hartwig's laboratory at the University of Illinois at Champaign
Awards and Honors
2019 Bayer Investigator Award
2017 GSK-EDB Green and Sustainable Manufacturing Award, Singapore
2015 SPMS Young Researcher Award, Nanyang Technological University
2013 GSK-EDB Green and Sustainable Manufacturing Award, Singapore
2012 Thieme Chemistry Journals Award for young professors at early stages of academic career
2011-14 Asian Core Program Lectureship Award, 2011 Malaysia, 2012 Taiwan, 2013 Japan, 2014 China
2008 Singapore National Research Foundation fellowship
Research Interests
My research focuses on the forefront of transition-metal-catalyzed reactions that construct pharmaceutically useful scaffolds. In collaboration with in-depth DFT calculations, we conduct mechanistic investigations using isolated organometallic complexes to understand and improve catalytic processes and to discover new guiding principles in transition metal catalysis.
Key research programs include: (i) nickel- and cobalt-catalyzed asymmetric reductive arylation and alkenylation using organic halides, (ii) stereoselective Heck reactions, and (iii) nickel-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation and borrowing hydrogen reactions.
I have authored >90 peer-reviewed papers (H-index 49, >7200 citations, Google Scholar 2025). I am (co)corresponding author of more than 40 communications/articles in JACS, Angew Chem, and ACS Catal. Since 2023, I was ranked in the top 2% scientists in Stanford’s global citation database (both career and single-year lists). Since 2023, I was also listed in Global Scholar Academic Impact Rankings (Lifetime).
Introduction of research results
1. Nickel- and cobalt-catalyzed asymmetric reductive arylation/alkenylation: Enabled enantioselective 1,4-addition of aryl/alkenyl halides to enones/aldimines, uncovering a novel mechanism of “elementary 1,4-aryl addition” that bypasses canonical 1,2-migratory insertion.
2. Hydrogen-bonding-assisted soft ionization in Heck reaction: Designed an H-bond donor that ionizes Ar–Pd(II)–X oxidative-addition complexes under mild conditions, enabling stereoselective intermolecular Heck and Heck-type couplings.
3. Nickel-catalyzed umpolung hydrogenation/deuteration: Employed acetic acid/indium powder to deliver stereoselective H/D transfer, a protocol now adopted for late-stage functionalization of complex targets.
Representative Achievements(Last 5 Years)
A. Selected papers
1. Cobalt-Catalyzed Enantioselective Reductive Arylation, Heteroarylation and Alkenylation of Michael Acceptors via an Elemen tary Mechanism of 1,4-Addition. Mengxin Zhao, Wenqiang Xu, Yun-Dong Wu,
Xiuying Yang, Jianchun Wang, and Jianrong Steve Zhou* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 20477–20493. Publication on July 10, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c06735
2. Nickel-Catalyzed Enantioselective Reductive Arylation of Common Ketones. Huang Shuai and Jianrong Steve Zhou* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024. 146, 12895–12900. doi: 10.1021/jacs.4c02818 Published
on May 2, 2023 One of the most read JACS articles of the month. Highlighted by Synfacts 2024, 0830.
3. Cobalt-Catalyzed Enantioselective Cross-Electrophile Couplings: Stereoselective Syntheses of 5-7 Membered Azacycles.
Zhaoming Ma, Wenqiang Xu, Yun-Dong Wu, and Jianrong Steve Zhou* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 16464–16473. doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c02829. Published on July 21, 2023.
4. Nickel-Catalyzed Enantioselective Reductive Arylation and Heteroarylation of Aldimines via an Elementary 1,4-Addition.Luoqiang Zhang, Xiuhua Wang, Maoping Pu, Peng Yang, Yun-Dong Wu, Yonggui Robin Chi and Jianrong Steve Zhou* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 8498–8509. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c00548 Published on April 6, 2023. One of the most read JACS articles of the month.
5. Nickel-Catalyzed Enantioselective Reductive Conjugate Arylation and Heteroarylation via an Elementary Mechanism of 1,4-Addition. Luoqiang Zhang, Mengxin Zhao, Maoping Pu, Zhaoming Ma, Jingsong Zhou, Caiyou Chen, Yun-Dong Wu, Yonggui Robin Chi, Jianrong Steve Zhou* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 20249–20257. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c05678 Published on Oct 31, 2022. One of the most read JACS articles of the month. Highlighted by x-mol in Dec 2022
B. Reviews
1. New Reactivity of Late 3d Metal Complexes in Catalytic Reactions of Alkynes.Shenghan Teng,* Peiyao Liang, Jianrong Steve Zhou* Chem. Soc. Rev. 2025, 54, 2664 – 2692. Published on Feb 19, 2025. DOI: 10.1039/D4CS01130A
2. Metal-catalyzed asymmetric heteroarylation of alkenes: diverse activation mechanisms.Shenghan Teng, Jianrong Steve Zhou* Chem. Soc. Rev. 2022, 51, 1592-1607. DOI: 10.1039/D1CS00426C published on 15 Feb 2022
C. Book chapters
1. Teng, Jianrong Steve Zhou, “Olefin difunctionalization with two different atoms; 1,2-carboetherification (alcoxylation) of olefins” in Comprehensive Chirality II. Editor in Chief: Janine Cossy. Session editor: Emmanuelle Schulz, Olivier Riant. Elsevier. 1 Mar 2023.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-32-390644-9.00052-4
2. Shenghan Teng, Jianrong Steve Zhou, “C-C bond formation through Heck-like reactions” in Comprehensive Organometallic Chemistry IV; Editors in Chief: Karsten Meyer, Dermot O’Hare and Gerard Parkin; Session editor: Ian Tonks; Elsevier, 25 Jan 2022.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820206-7.00156-6
3. Jianrong Steve Zhou, “Phosphorus Ligands” in Comprehensive Coordination Chemistry III; Editors in Chief: Edwin Constable, Gerard Parkin, Lawrence Que, Session editor: Joshua Figueroa; Vol. 1, Elsevier, 20 July 2021; pp 32-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102688-5.00095-7
