Guangde Jiang

Guangde Jiang serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Wayne State University, a position he commenced in 2024. His research bridges chemistry and biology through biocatalysis, chemoenzymatic synthesis, and natural product biosynthesis, with direct applications in pharmaceutical development and sustainable synthesis methodologies.

His academic foundation includes a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Florida, an M.S. in Medicinal Chemistry from China Pharmaceutical University, and a B.S. in Pharmacy from Xiangtan University, China. Postdoctoral training was completed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in both the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment.

Dr. Jiang's research program centers on biocatalysis and enzymatic cascade reactions, with specialized focus on glucose dehydrogenases, photoenzymatic catalysis, and machine learning-driven protein engineering. His laboratory integrates synthetic biology, molecular biology, and computational chemistry to develop novel enzymatic pathways for synthesizing complex nitrogen heterocycles and natural products, emphasizing green chemistry principles and pharmaceutical relevance.

Analysis of his 24+ publications reveals dominant trends in merging photochemistry with enzymatic catalysis (12 articles), computational synthesis planning (5 articles), and natural product discovery (7 articles). His work frequently appears in top-tier journals including Nature, Science, and JACS, demonstrating consistent innovation in biocatalytic methodology development.

Major recognitions include:

• Tony and Colleen Shen Postdoctoral Fellowship (UIUC, 2021-2022)
• New Frontiers Scholar Award (Corteva Agriscience, 2019)
• Best Research Student Award (University of Florida, 2019)
• UF Drug Discovery Symposium Poster Winner (2019)
• University of Florida Certificate of Excellence (2018)

He actively mentors graduate students in the Pharmaceutical Sciences program while teaching core courses including Pharmaceutical Sciences Colloquium (PSC7850) and Introduction to Seminar (PSC7860). His research program is supported by competitive fellowships and institutional funding, with current projects focusing on enzymatic C-H functionalization and AI-assisted enzyme design.

Dr. Jiang's laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach combining experimental biochemistry, structural analysis, and computational modeling to engineer enzymatic systems for pharmaceutical synthesis, with particular emphasis on bridging bicyclic nitrogen scaffolds and oxazole-containing natural products.