2003 - B.Sc. (Chemistry), University of Guelph 2005 - M.Sc. (Chemistry), University of Guelph 2009 - Ph.D. (Chemistry), McGill University 2009 - Postdoctoral Researcher, The University of Tokyo 2011 - Project Assistant Professor, The University of Tokyo Awards: 2007 - Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship D (NSERC CGS D2) 2009 - NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (declined) 2009 - JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers

Synthetic Organic Chemistry

(1) Discovery of new catalytic systems for oxidative coupling reactions. (2) Investigations into the use of carbon dioxide in organic chemistry.

Base-Mediated Carboxylation of Unprotected Indole Derivatives with Carbon Dioxide, W.-J. Yoo, M. Guiteras Capdevila, X. Du, S. Kobayashi, Org. Lett. 2012, 14, 5326. The Discovery of a Metalloenzyme-like Cooperative Catalytic System of Metal-nanoclusters and Catechol Derivatives for Aerobic Oxidation of Amines, H. Yuan, W.-J. Yoo, H. Miyamura, S. Kobayashi, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2012, 134, 13970. Facile Preparation of 2-Substituted Benzoxazoles and Benzothiazoles via Aerobic Oxidation of Phenolic and Thiophenolic Imines Catalyzed by Polymer-incarcerated Platinum Nanoclusters, W.-J. Yoo, H. Yuan, H. Miyamura, S. Kobayashi, Adv. Synth. Catal., 2011, 353, 3085. Polymer-incarcerated Gold-palladium Nanoclusters with Boron on Carbon: A Mild and Efficient Catalyst for the Sequential Aerobic Oxidation-Michael Addition of 1,3-Dicarbonyl Compounds to Allylic Alcohols, W.-J. Yoo, H. Miyamura, S. Kobayashi, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2011, 133, 3095. Copper-catalyzed Four-component Coupling Between Aldehydes, Amines, Alkynes, and Carbon Dioxide, W.-J. Yoo, C.-J. Li, Adv. Synth. Catal., 2008, 350, 1503. Highly Efficient Oxidative Amidation of Aldehydes with Amine Hydrochloride Salts, W.-J. Yoo, C.-J. Li, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 71, 6266. Highly Selective Oxidative Esterification of Aldehydes with β-Dicarbonyl Compounds, W.-J. Yoo, C.-J. Li, J. Org. Chem., 2006, 71, 6266.

Rhodium-catalyzed Intramolecular [4+2] Cycloadditions of Alkynyl Halides, W.-J. Yoo, A. Allen, K. Villeneuve, W. Tam, Org. Lett., 2005, 7, 5853.