Research

Our research has a fundamental interest in developing innovative synthetic methodologies in organic chemistry, with a particular interest in the development of mutually beneficial substrate-catalysis concepts and their application to complex targets, especially biologically relevant compounds. Researchers in the group gain great interdisciplinary knowledge from synthetic organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and medicinal chemistry, also learn valuable characterization and analytical skills, such as synthetic skills, NMR spectroscopy, and liquid chromatography.

Learn more about the Deng Research Group.

Research areas

• Organic Synthesis
• Asymmetric Catalysis
• Metal Carbene/Carbenoid Chemistry
• Nitrene/Nitrenoid Chemistry
• Transition Metal Catalysis
• Photochemistry
• Organic Electrosynthesis
• Alkyne Activation
• Heterocycles Synthesis

Education

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, 2014; Miami University, OH
  • Advisor: Hong Wang
  • Thesis: Asymmetric cyclization reactions through an enamine/acid cooperative approach. Synthesis of unsymmetrically functionalized benzoporphyrins.
• B.S. in Chemistry, 2009; Shandong University, Jinan, China

Publications & Professional Activity

See all publications on Google Scholar.

Affiliations

• International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry Member, 2017—present
• American Chemical Society Member, 2011—present

Awards

• Junior Faculty Award for Research, OCSE Western Kentucky University (2020)
• Early Investigator-First Time Award, Western Kentucky University (2019)