Co-Director, FQRNT Centre for Green Chemistry and Catalysis Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Academy of Science) Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) B. Sc. (Zhengzhou University, 1983) M.S. (Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1988) Ph. D. (McGill University, 1992) NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow (Stanford University, 1992-94) Visiting Faculty, UC Berkeley (2002) Professor (Assistant, Associate, Full) (Tulane University, 1994-2003) Awards (US) NSF CAREER Award, 1998-2002 Outstanding Young Oversea Scientist Award (NSFC), 2001 (US) Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (Academic), 2001 Japan Society for Promotion of Science (Senior) Fellow, 2002 Honorary Research Professor (Chemistry Institute, Chinese Academy of Science) Canadian Green Chemistry and Engineering Award (individual), 2010 Award of Merit, Federation of the Chinese Canadian Professionals (ont), 2011 R. U. Lemieux Award (CSC), 2015 Alfred Bader Award (CSC), 2018 Killam Fellow of the Canadian Council of Arts (2018) Catalysis Award (CIC, 2020) Humboldt Research Award (2021)

Green Chemistry Green solvents: our lab is one of the pioneers in the use of water for organic reactions. Green synthesis: our lab has developed a broad range of new reactions for Green Chemistry towards organic synthesis that greatly shorten synthetic steps, which include: 1) Grignard-type reactions in water, 2) Aldehyde-Alkyne-Amine coupling (A3-reaction), 3) Cross-Dehydrogenative-Couplings (CDC reaction), and 4) Hydrazone as Organometallic Reagent Equivalent (HOME). Catalytic conversion of small molecules (methane, CO2, and N2) into high valued products. Catalytic conversion of biomass (lignin and sugar) into high valued products. Photochemistry Self-assembling induced light emissions: we developed fluorescence sensors for various metals ions (K+, Na+, Li+, Cs+, Hg+2, Ln+3, Pb+2) via Self-Assembling induced Fluorescence Enhancement (SAFE) in solution. Light-enabled late-stage functionalization of complex molecules via C-H bond: amino acids, peptides, and pharmaceutical agents. New photo-catalysts development: we have patented several classes of novel photo-catalysts (late-stage functionalization tool-kit, tunable photo-redox catalyst, universal two-in-one photo-catalyst for transition metals etc).

Afanasenko, A.; Kavun, A.; Thomas, D.; Li, C.-J., A One-Pot Approach for Bio-Based Arylamines via a Combined Photooxidative Dearomatization-Rearomatization Strategy. Chem. Eur. J. 2022. Kan, J; Chen, Z; Qiu, Z; Lv, L; Li, C.-C.; Li, C.-J., Umpolung carbonyls enable direct allylation and olefination of carbohydrates. Sci. Adv. 2022, 8. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm6840 Luo, S.; Peng, M.; Querard, P.; Li, C.-C.; Li, C.-J., Copper-Catalyzed Conjugate Addition of Carbonyls as Carbanion Equivalent via Hydrazones. J. Org. Chem 2021, 86, 13111. Dai, X.-J.#; Li, C.-C. #; Li, C.-J.*, Carbonyl umpolung as an organometallic reagent surrogate. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2021 Castillo-Pazos, D.#; Lasso, J.#; Li, C.-J., Modern methods for the synthesis of perfluoroalkylated aromatics. Org. Biomol. Chem., 2021,19, 7116-7128. Lasso, J.#;Castillo-Pazos, D.#; Li, C.-J., Green chemistry meets medicinal chemistry: a perspective on modern metal-free late-stage functionalization reactions. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2021,50, 10955-10982. Cao, D.; Li, C.-C.; Zeng, H.; Peng, Y.; Li, C.-J., C(sp3)− C(sp3) bond formation via nickel-catalyzed deoxygenative homo-coupling of aldehydes/ketones mediated by hydrazine. Nat. Commun. 2021, 12, 3729–3736. Lv, L.; Li, C.-J., Ruthenium catalyzed β-selective alkylation of vinylpyridines with aldehydes/ketones via N2H4 mediated deoxygenative couplings. Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, 2870-2875. Lv, L.; Li, C.-J., Palladium-catalyzed defluorinative alkylation of gem–difluorocyclopropanes: switching regioselectivity via simple hydrazones. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 13098–13104. Li, J.#; Huang, C.-Y.#; Li, C.–J.*, Deoxygenative Functionalizations of Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202112770 Li, J.#; Huang, C.-Y.#; Han, J.-T.; Li, C.–J.*, Development of a quinolinium/cobaloxime dual photocatalytic system for oxidative C–C cross-couplings via H2 release. ACS Catal. 2021, 11, 14148-14158 Li, J.#; Huang, C.-Y.#; Ataya, M.#; Khaliullin, R.Z.*; Li, C.–J.*, Direct deoxygenative borylation of carboxylic acids. Nat. Commun. 2021, 12, 4970-4978 Huang, C.-Y.#; Li, J.#; Li, C.-J., A cross-dehydrogenative C(sp3)−H heteroarylation via photo-induced catalytic chlorine radical generation. Nat. Commun. 2021, 12, 4010-4018. Li, C.-C.; Wang, H.; Sim, M. M.; Qiu, Z.; Chen, Z.-P.; Khaliullin, R. Z.; Li, C.-J., Empowering alcohols as carbonyl surrogates for Grignard-type reactions. Nat. Commun, 2020, 11, 6022. Ung. S. P.-M.; Mechrouk, V. A.; Li, C.-J. Shining Light on the Light-Bearing Element: A Brief Review of Photomediated C–H Phosphorylation Reactions. 2020, 10.1055/s-0040-1705978 Qiu, Z.; Zeng, H.; Li, C.-J.Coupling without Coupling Reactions: En Route to Developing Phenols as Sustainable Coupling Partners via Dearomatization–Rearomatization Processes. Acc. Chem. Res. 2020, 53, 10, 2395-2413. Lang, Y.; Li, C.-J.; Zeng, H. Dearomatization-Rearomatization Strategy for Palladium-Catalyzed C–N Cross-Coupling Reactions. Synlett. 2020, 00, 0000-0000. (Invited article for special issue for Prof. B. M. Trost’s 80th Birthday) Li, J.; Wang, H.; Qiu, Z.; Huang, C.-Y.; Li, C.-J. Metal-Free Direct Deoxygenative Borylation of Aldehydes and Ketones. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 13011-13020. Cao, D.; Chen, Z.; Lv, L.; Zeng, H.; Peng, Y.; Li, C.-J. Light-Driven Metal-Free Direct Deoxygenation of Alcohols Under Mild Conditions. iScience. 2020, 23, 101419-101429. Liu, M.; Tan, L.; Rashid, R. T.; Cen, Y.; Cheng, S.; Botton, G.; Mi, Z.; Li, C.-J. GaN Nanowire as a Reusable Photoredox Catalyst for Radical Coupling of Carbonyl Under Blacklight-Irradiation. Chem. Sci. 2020, 11, 7864-7870. Kim, Y.; Li, C.-J. Perspectives on Green Synthesis and Catalysis. Green Chem. Catal. 2020, 1, 1-11. Dou, Q.; Li, C.-J.; Zeng, H. Photoinduced Transition-Metal- and External-Photosensitizer-Free Intramolecular Aryl Rearrangement via C(Ar)–O Bond Cleavage. Chem. Sci. 2020, 11, 5740-5744.