2001-2007 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry 2007-2011 Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry 2011-present Professor, Department of Chemistry 2013-2017 Associate Dean (T&L), Faculty of Science 2016 Interim Dean, Faculty of Science 2016-2019 Associate Head, Department of Chemistry 2019-present Associate Editor, Organic Letters Pauline Chiu enrolled in the BSc Honours program in Chemistry at the University of Toronto. She joined the laboratory of the late Prof. Adrian Brook to do a BSc final year thesis in 1987, and was the last graduate student of Professor Brook when she completed her Master’s thesis which was on the chemistry of silenes in 1990. She continued pursuing her PhD with NSERC (National Science & Engineering Research Council of Canada) support under the supervision of Prof. Mark Lautens at the University of Toronto in 1990-1994, working on the organometallic transformations of oxabicyclic compounds. Then under further NSERC support, she went on to do postdoctoral work with Prof. Samuel J. Danishefsky at Columbia University in 1994-1995, New York, working on the total synthesis of gelsemine. She started her independent career at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hong Kong, and she has been Professor in organic chemistry since 2011. Her research interests are in cycloaddition and cascade reactions, and development of new methodology as applied to natural product total synthesis. She is also interested in developing copper-mediated chemical transformations and reactions to synthesize medium-sized rings.

New Synthetic Methodology Total Synthesis of Natural Products and Bioactive Compounds Target Identification and Medicinal Chemistry of Bioactive Natural Products

Chemoselective and Diastereoselective Intramolecular (3+2) Cycloadditions of Epoxy and Aziridinyl Enolsilanes. Chen, Y.; Ling, J.; Keto, A. B.; He, Y.; Low, K. H.; Krenske, E. H.;* Chiu, P.* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, e202116099. Direct Asymmetric Reductive Amination of α-Keto Acetals: A Platform for Synthesizing Diverse α-Functionalized Amines. Shi, Y.; Wang, J.; Yang, F.; Wang, C.; Zhang, X.;* Chiu, P.; Yin, Q.* Chem. Commun. 2022, 58, 513-516. doi: 10.1039/D1CC06601C Copper-catalyzed Reductive Ireland-Claisen Rearrangements of Propargylic Acrylates and Allylic Allenoates. Guo, S.; Wong, K. C.; Scheeff, S.; He, Z.; Chan, W. T. K.; Low, K.-H.; Chiu, P.* J. Org. Chem. 2022, 87, 429-452. doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.1c02455 Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective 1,2-Reduction of Cycloalkenones. Shi, Y. J.; Wang, J. X.; Yin, Q.; Zhang, X. M.*; Chiu, P.* Org. Lett. 2021, 23, 5658-5663. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c01744 Pyrroles as Dienes in (4+3) Cycloadditions. Hu, F.; Ng, J. P. L.; Chiu, P.* Synthesis. 2019, 51, 1073-1086. doi: 10.1055/s-0037-1611660 Applications of (4+3) Cycloadditions in Natural Product Synthesis. Yin, Z. S.; He, Y.; Chiu, P.* Chem. Soc. Rev. 2018, 47, 8881-8924. DOI: 10.1039/C8CS00532J. Part of the themed collection: New Directions in Natural Product Synthesis. Intramolecular (4+3) Cycloadditions of Pyrroles and Application to the Synthesis of Class II Galbulimima Alkaloids. He, J.; Chen, Z.; Li, W.; Low, K.H.; Chiu, P.* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 5253-5256. doi: 10.1002/anie.201711439 Synthesis and Applications of Unquaternized C-bound Boron Enolates. Ng., E. W. H.; Low, K.H.; Chiu, P.* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 3537-3541. doi:10.1021/jacs.8b00614 Application of a Rhodium-catalyzed Cyclization Cycloaddition Cascade Strategy to the Total Synthesis of (-)-Curcumol. Zhang, X. X.;* Ko, R. Y. Y.; Xie, X. Q.; Qi, W. P.; Li, P. C.; Chiu, P.* Org. Chem. Front., 2018, 5, 1092-1095. doi: 10.1039/C7QO01150D Transannular [4+3] Cycloadditions of Macrocyclic Epoxy Ketones. Chan, D.; Chen, Y.; Low, K. H.; Chiu, P.* Chem.-Eur. J. 2018, 24, 2375-2378. doi: 10.1002/chem.201800019/full ​ An Approach to the Welwistatin Core via a Diazoketone Rearrangement–Ring Expansion Strategy. Lam. S. M.; Wong, W. T.; Chiu, P.* Org. Lett. 2017, 19, 4468–4471. DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.7b01988 ​Rearrangements of α-Diazo-β-Hydroxyketones for the Synthesis of Bicyclo[m.n.1]alkanones. Li, Z.; Lam, S. M.; Ip, I.; Wong, W. T.; Chiu, P.* Org. Lett. 2017, 19, 4464–4467. DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.7b01963 A Natural Product-like JAK2/STAT3 Inhibitor Induces Apoptosis of Malignant Melanoma Cells. Wu, K. J.; Huang J. M.; Zhong, H. J.; Dong Z. Z.; Liu, C.; Lu, J.-J.; Chen, X. P.; Chiu, P; Kwong, D. W.; Han, Q. B.; Ma, D. L.*; Leung, C. H.* PLoS One, 2017, 12(6) e0177123. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177123 Dearomative Intramolecular (4+3) Cycloadditions of Arenes with Epoxy and Aziridinyl Enolsilanes. Ling, J.; Lam, S.; Low, K.-H.; Chiu, P.* Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 8879–8882. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201704155 Tetrandrine, an Activator of Autophagy, Induces Autophagic Cell Death via PKC-α Inhibition and mTOR-Dependent Mechanisms. Wong, V. K. W.; Zeng, W.; Chen J.; Yao, X. J.; Leung, E. L.; Wang Q. Q.; Chiu, P.*; Ko, B. C. B.*; Law, B. Y. K.* Front. Pharmacol. 2017, 8:351. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00351 3-Quinuclidinol. First Update. Y. Chen, Chiu, P.* In: Electronic Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis (e-EROS). John Wiley & Sons, 2016. "Goldilocks Effect" of Water in Lewis-Brønsted Acid and Base Catalysis. Barron, B. J.; Wong, W. T.; Chiu, P.; Hii, K. K.* ACS Catalysis. 2016, 6, 4189–4194. DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.6b00800 Epoxy and Aziridinyl Enolsilanes in Diastereoselective Inter- and Intramolecular Friedel–Crafts Alkylations. Ling, J.; Lam, S. K.; Lo, B.; Lam, S.; Wong, W. T.; Chen, G.; Sun, J.; Chiu, P.* Org. Chem. Front. 2016, 3, 457–461. DOI: 10.1039/C5QO00333D.This article is selected to be in the themed collection: Hot articles in Organic Chemistry Frontiers in 2016. Copper Hydride-Catalyzed Reductive Claisen Rearrangements. Wong, K. C.; Ng, E.; Wong, W. T.; Chiu, P.* Chem. – Eur. J. 2016, 22, 3709–3712. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201504870. This article is part of a Special Issue: Women in Chemistry. Rearrangements of α-Diazo-β-Hydroxyketones for the Synthesis of Bicyclo[m.n.1]alkanones. Li, Z.; Lam, S. M.; Ip, I.; Wong, W. T.; Chiu, P.* Org. Lett. 2017, 19, 4464–4467. DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.7b01963 A Natural Product-like JAK2/STAT3 Inhibitor Induces Apoptosis of Malignant Melanoma Cells. Wu, K. J.; Huang J. M.; Zhong, H. J.; Dong Z. Z.; Liu, C.; Lu, J.-J.; Chen, X. P.; Chiu, P; Kwong, D. W.; Han, Q. B.; Ma, D. L.*; Leung, C. H.* PLoS One, 2017, 12(6) e0177123. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177123 Dearomative Intramolecular (4+3) Cycloadditions of Arenes with Epoxy and Aziridinyl Enolsilanes. Ling, J.; Lam, S.; Low, K.-H.; Chiu, P.* Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 8879–8882. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201704155 Tetrandrine, an Activator of Autophagy, Induces Autophagic Cell Death via PKC-α Inhibition and mTOR-Dependent Mechanisms. Wong, V. K. W.; Zeng, W.; Chen J.; Yao, X. J.; Leung, E. L.; Wang Q. Q.; Chiu, P.*; Ko, B. C. B.*; Law, B. Y. K.* Front. Pharmacol. 2017, 8:351. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00351