Betty Chen

Fourth-Year Graduate Student

2021 - present: Graduate Student

Betty received her BS in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with Highest Distinction. As an undergraduate, she was an LAS James Scholar in Prof. Jeffrey S. Moore’s group. Her research focused on the kinetic self-assembly of molecular ladders via alkyne metathesis. Betty loves catching bugs, but there aren’t many bugs around, so she catches lizards instead.

Publications:

  1. “Nicotinamide Photoenzymes for Radical C-C Coupling.“ Rui Guo, Heyu Chen and Yang Yang*, Nature Catalysis 2022, 5, 582–583.

  2. “Engineered P450 Atom Transfer Radical Cyclases Are Bifunctional Biocatalysts: Reaction Mechanism and Origin of Enantioselectivity“ Yue Fu, Heyu Chen, Wenzhen Fu, Marc Garcia-Borras, Yang Yang* and Peng Liu*, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2022, 144, 13344–13355.

  3. P450-Catalyzed Atom Transfer Radical Cyclization“ Heyu Chen†, Wenzhen Fu†, Yang Yang*, Methods in Enzymology 2023, 693, 31–49.

Zhiyu Bo

Third-Year Graduate Student

2022 - present: Graduate Student

Zhiyu received her BS and MS in Chemistry from Sichuan University under the guidance of Prof. Da-Gang Yu. Her previous research in the Yu lab focused on the development of novel transformations of CO2 and C-F bond activation. Zhiyu loves learning the tricks of skateboarding and hanging out with friends in her spare time.

Publications:

  1. Stereoselective Amino Acid Synthesis by Synergistic Photoredox-Pyridoxal Radical Biocatalysis” Lei Cheng, Dian Li, Binh Khanh Mai, Zhiyu Bo, Lida Cheng, Peng Liu* and Yang Yang*, Science 2023, 381, 444–451.

  2. Enzymes on Steroids“ Liupeng Zhao, Zhiyu Bo and Yang Yang*, Nature Synthesis 2023, 2, 699–700.

  3. Practical Biocatalytic Synthesis of Aromatic Nitriles“ Zhiyu Bo and Yang Yang*, Chem Catalysis 2023, 3, 100615.

  4. Stereoselective amino acid synthesis by photobiocatalytic oxidative coupling“ Tian-Ci Wang, Binh Khanh Mai, Zheng Zhang, Zhiyu Bo, Jiedong Li, Peng Liu* and Yang Yang*, Nature 2024, 629, 98–104.

Rohan Thomas

Fifth-Year Graduate Student

Rohan grew up in Indonesia and Singapore and moved to California in 2016 to pursue his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Biology at UC Berkeley. There he did research on enzymatic pathways in the biosynthesis of PQQ with Professor Judith Klinman. He first learned about how enzymes could be used as a synthetic catalyst while exploring safer ways to do amino acid cross couplings. He has also worked on projects designing arylstannane targets for radiopharmaceutical synthesis and developing protein-based binding products for plant-based burgers. Before starting as a graduate student at UCSB, in 2019-2020, as a bioprocessing engineer at the Bioprocessing Technology Institute in Singapore, Rohan worked on developing a high-throughput screening platform for animal cell culture media additives.

Zheng Zhang

Second-Year Graduate Student

2023 - present: Graduate Student

Zheng received his bachelor’s degree from Sichuan University and worked as a research assistant in Prof. Zhaobin Wang’s group at Westlake University. His previous research focused on photoMHAT/chromium triple catalysis. In his free time, he enjoys climbing mountains with friends, reading and playing soccer.

Publications:

  1. Threonine Aldolase-Catalyzed Enantioselective α-Alkylation of Amino Acids through Unconventional Photoinduced Radical Initiation“ Tian-Ci Wang, Zheng Zhang, Guodong Rao, Jiedong Li, Josephine Shirah, R. David Britt, Qilei Zhu* and Yang Yang*, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2024, 146, 22476–22484.

  2. Stereoselective amino acid synthesis by photobiocatalytic oxidative coupling“ Tian-Ci Wang, Binh Khanh Mai, Zheng Zhang, Zhiyu Bo, Jiedong Li, Peng Liu* and Yang Yang*, Nature 2024, 629, 98–104.

Jun Zhou

Second-Year Graduate Student

2023 - present: Graduate Student

Jun received his B.S. in Chemistry from the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) under the guidance of Prof. Bin Tan. His previous research in the Tan lab focused on the development of chiral selenide catalysts. Jun loves playing badminton and western pop music. He is also learning how to cook well and wants to be a good Cantonese chef.

Huichong Liu

Second-Year Graduate Student

2023 - present: Graduate Student

Huichong received his B.S. in Chemistry from Xiamen University under the guidance of Prof. Cheng Wang. His previous research in the Wang lab focused on catalytic activities and reaction mechanism of single site metal catalysts in MOFs. In his leisure time, Huichong enjoys electronic music and collecting mineral samples.

Silvia Rivera

First-Year Graduate Student

2024 - present: Graduate Student

Silvia received her B.S. in Chemistry from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. In addition to being an LSAMP fellow, she was an NSF-REU Fellow at Kansas State University, where she worked under the guidance of Prof. Ryan Rafferty to contribute on the total synthesis of Balgacyclamide B. She also completed a Process Chemistry Co-Op position at Vertex Pharmaceuticals' Boston site, investigating novel conditions for the decarboxylation of β-ketoesters under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Laws and Dr. Stephanie Roeper. Silvia is currently a fellow in the LSAMP Bridge to Doctorate Program. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new cities, playing her ukulele, and cooking.

Ken Lin

First-Year Graduate Student

2024 - present: Graduate Student

Ken received his BS from Central China Normal University and MS from Nanjing University. While at Nanjing University, he worked with Prof. Hongjian Lu on organic azides and molecular editing. Outside the lab, Ken loves playing basketball and traveling,

Benjamin Krohn-Hansen

Fourth-Year Undergraduate Student

2021 - present: Undergraduate Researcher

2022: RISE Internship

2022: Richard and Leslie Anderson Scholarship

Ben is a biochemistry major in the College of Letters and Science UCSB. He is deeply interested in the application of chemistry in biological processes at the molecular level. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and playing piano with his band.

Publications:

  1. Enzyme-Controlled Stereoselective Radical Cyclisation to Arenes Enabled By Metalloredox Biocatalysis“ Wenzhen Fu, Natalia M. Neris, Yue Fu, Yunlong Zhao, Benjamin Krohn-Hansen, Peng Liu* and Yang Yang*, Nature Catalysis 2023, 6, 628–636.

  2. A Biocatalytic Platform for Asymmetric Alkylation of α-Keto Acids by Mining and Engineering of Methyltransferases“ Shuyun Ju, Kaylee P. Kuzelka, Rui Guo, Benjamin Krohn-Hansen, Jianping Wu, Satish K. Nair* and Yang Yang*, Nature Communications 2023, 14, 5704.

Chongtao Li

Third-Year Undergraduate Student

2022 - present: Undergraduate Researcher

Chongtao is studying chemistry and biochemistry in the College of Creative Studies. He is interested in organic chemistry and biocatalysis. During his spare time, Chongtao loves skateboarding and skydiving.

Angel Roman

Third-Year Undergraduate Student

2023 -present: Undergraduate Researcher 

Angel is currently a third year Biochemistry student. He is interested in the field itself because he wants to understand the world he lives in to the best of his ability, and with the knowledge he acquires over the years, he hopes to be able to generate work that will benefit humanity overall. In his free time Angel enjoys playing soccer, going to the gym, reading comic books and going to the theater. 

Michael Bratslavsky

Third-Year Undergraduate Student

2023 - present: Undergraduate Researcher

Michael is a biochemistry major in the College of Letters and Sciences. He is interested in the human body and how it functions on a chemical level. He hopes to apply his knowledge to better the world through his work. In his free time Michael likes to play soccer, go to the gym, and play video games.

Ignacio Fregoso

Third-Year Undergraduate Student

2023 -present: Undergraduate Researcher 

Ignacio is currently a third-year Microbiology major in the College of Letters and Sciences at UCSB. He aims to expand his knowledge of chemistry and integrate it into his future academic pursuits. Outside of academia, Ignacio has hobbies which include playing the guitar and olympic weightlifting. 

Jiedong Li

Third-Year Undergraduate Student

2023 - present: Undergraduate Researcher

Jiedong is currently studying chemistry in the College of Letters and Science at UCSB. He is interested in chemistry and wants to be in the pharmaceutical field later on. During his spare time, he enjoys traveling, watching movies and driving.

Publications:

  1. Threonine Aldolase-Catalyzed Enantioselective α-Alkylation of Amino Acids through Unconventional Photoinduced Radical Initiation“ Tian-Ci Wang, Zheng Zhang, Guodong Rao, Jiedong Li, Josephine Shirah, R. David Britt, Qilei Zhu* and Yang Yang*, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2024, 146, 22476–22484.

  2. Stereoselective amino acid synthesis by photobiocatalytic oxidative coupling“ Tian-Ci Wang, Binh Khanh Mai, Zheng Zhang, Zhiyu Bo, Jiedong Li, Peng Liu* and Yang Yang*, Nature 2024, 629, 98–104.

Jasper Chen

Third-Year Undergraduate Student

Jasper is a biochemistry major in the College of Letters and Science. He is curious about the fields of biochemistry and enzymology while pursuing a career in medicine. In his spare time, Jasper enjoys drawing, working out, and going to cafes.

Dr. Wei Huang

Postdoctoral Associate

2023 - present: Postdoctoral Associate

Wei received his PhD from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry under the direction of Prof. Fanke Meng. Wei’s graduate research focused on the development of cobalt-catalyzed stereoselective C-C bond forming reactions with unsaturated hydrocarbons. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, hiking and photography.

Publications:

  1. Machine learning-guided co-optimization of fitness and diversity facilitates combinatorial library design in enzyme engineering” Kerr Ding†, Michael Chin†, Yunlong Zhao†, Binh Khanh Mai, Wei Huang, Huanan Wang, Peng Liu*, Yang Yang* and Yunan Luo*, Nature Communications 2024, 15, 6392.

Dr. Lei Cheng

Postdoctoral Associate

2022 - present: Postdoctoral Associate

Lei received his PhD degree from Nankai University under the direction of Prof. Qi-Lin Zhou (Academician, CAS). At Nankai, he studied nickel-catalyzed hydrofunctionalization of dienes. Outside the lab, he enjoys swimming, playing football, running and reading.

Publications:

  1. Stereoselective Amino Acid Synthesis by Synergistic Photoredox-Pyridoxal Radical Biocatalysis” Lei Cheng, Dian Li, Binh Khanh Mai, Zhiyu Bo, Lida Cheng, Peng Liu* and Yang Yang*, Science 2023, 381, 444–451.

Dr. Huanan Wang

Postdoctoral Associate

2022 - present: Postdoctoral Associate

Huanan received his PhD from Fudan University under the direction of Prof. Shengming Ma. At Fudan, Huanan studied transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions for the asymmetric synthesis of axially-chiral allenes.

Publications:

  1. A metalloenzyme platform for catalytic asymmetric radical dearomatization“ Wenzhen Fu, Yue Fu, Yunlong Zhao, Huanan Wang, Peng Liu* and Yang Yang*, Nature Chemistry 2024, 16, 1999–2008.

  2. Machine learning-guided co-optimization of fitness and diversity facilitates combinatorial library design in enzyme engineering” Kerr Ding†, Michael Chin†, Yunlong Zhao†, Binh Khanh Mai, Wei Huang, Huanan Wang, Peng Liu*, Yang Yang* and Yunan Luo*, Nature Communications 2024, 15, 6392.

Dr. Qingdong Hu

Postdoctoral Associate

2024 - present: Postdoctoral Associate

Qingdong received his PhD from the University of Science and Technology of China under the direction of Prof. Chang Guo. His graduate research focused on the development of asymmetric transformations of propargylic alcohol derivatives. Outside the lab, Qingdong enjoys reading and hiking.

Dr. Chen Zhang

Postdoctoral Associate

2022 - present: Postdoctoral Associate

Chen received his PhD from Sichuan University under the direction of Prof. Dawen Niu. At Sichuan university, he focused on carbohydrates chemistry and developed new photoredox methods for glycosylation and carbohydrate functionalization. Outside the lab, he enjoys watching movies and hanging out with his friends.

Dr. Liu-Peng Zhao

Postdoctoral Associate

2022 - present: Postdoctoral Associate

Liupeng received his PhD degree from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry under the direction of Prof. Yong Tang. In the Tang lab, he focused on the development of [2+2+2] cascade cyclization reactions involving indole derivatives. With these synthetic methods, he completed the total syntheses of several complex indole alkaloids. Outside the lab, he enjoys watching movies and reading.

Publications:

  1. Enzymes on Steroids“ Liupeng Zhao, Zhiyu Bo and Yang Yang*, Nature Synthesis 2023, 2, 699–700 (invited News & Views).

  2. Biocatalytic enantioselective C(sp3)–H fluorination enabled by directed evolution of nonheme Fe enzymes“ Liu-Peng Zhao, Binh Khanh Mai, Lida Cheng, Fangqiu Gao, Yunlong Zhao, Rui Guo, Hao Wu, Yongda Zhang, Peng Liu* and Yang Yang*, Nature Synthesis 2024, 3, 967–975.

Dr. Tian-Ci Wang

Postdoctoral Associate

2022 - present: Postdoctoral Associate

Tian-Ci received his PhD from University of Science and Technology of China under the direction of Prof. Liu-Zhu Gong. Tian-Ci’s graduate research focused on the development of palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic C-H functionalization reactions. Prior to UCSB, Tian-Ci spent a year working with Prof. Peter Zhang at Boston College. Outside the lab, he enjoys sightseeing tours and hiking.

Publications:

  1. Threonine Aldolase-Catalyzed Enantioselective α-Alkylation of Amino Acids through Unconventional Photoinduced Radical Initiation“ Tian-Ci Wang, Zheng Zhang, Guodong Rao, Jiedong Li, Josephine Shirah, R. David Britt, Qilei Zhu* and Yang Yang*, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2024, 146, 22476–22484.

  2. Stereoselective amino acid synthesis by photobiocatalytic oxidative coupling“ Tian-Ci Wang, Binh Khanh Mai, Zheng Zhang, Zhiyu Bo, Jiedong Li, Peng Liu* and Yang Yang*, Nature 2024, 629, 98–104.

Dr. Quanquan Wang

Postdoctoral Associate

2023 - present: Postdoctoral Associate

Quanquan received his Ph.D. from Nankai University under the direction of Prof. Gong Chen. Quanquan’s research mainly focused on the development of new methods for the stereoselective synthesis of C-glycosides and the total synthesis of complex glycopeptide natural products in the past few years. Prior to UCSB, Quanquan was a postdoctoral research fellow working with Prof. Ming Joo Koh at the National University of Singapore. Outside the lab, he enjoys exercising in gyms, reading, and photography.

Dr. Xiao-Wang Chen

Postdoctoral Associate

2024 - present: Postdoctoral Associate

Xiaowang received his PhD from Sichuan University under the direction of Prof. Da-Gang Yu. Xiaowang’s graduate research focused on catalytic asymmetric synthesis with CO2. Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking and hanging out with his friends.

Dr. An Liu
Postdoctoral Associate
2024-present: Postdoctoral Associate
An received his PhD degree from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry under the direction of Prof. Jinbo Hu. His graduate research focused on the use of TMSCF2Br as the sole fluorocarbon source in diverse aldehyde functionalization reactions, particularly via controllable fluorocarbon chain elongation.

Dr. Cheng Sheng

Postdoctoral Associate

2024 - present: Postdoctoral Associate

Cheng received his PhD from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) under the direction of Prof. Wanbin Zhang. At SJTU, Cheng studied Cu-catalyzed asymmetric addition reactions for the synthesis of chiral amines. Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking, swimming, reading poems.