Kyung W. Jung

Kyung W. Jung is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Southern California (USC). His research focuses on organic synthesis, catalysis, and their applications in carbon-hydrogen bond activation, synthetic methodologies, and drug discovery. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1994) and degrees from Seoul National University (M.S. 1987, B.S. 1985).

His research group develops novel organometallic catalysts for challenging reactions like C-H bond activation and creates synthetic methods for medicinal chemistry and pharmaceuticals. Key projects include designing Pd-based catalysts for stereoselective reactions, deuteration of drugs, and drug discovery targeting RNA-based rare diseases like myotonic dystrophy type I. Collaborations with USC’s Keck School of Medicine aim to develop first-in-class therapeutics.

Publications highlight advancements in palladium(II) catalysis, asymmetric Heck reactions, and C-H activation of hydrocarbons. Recent work addresses methane conversion and deuterium labeling of APIs to improve drug stability. His methodologies have been applied in drug discovery and natural product synthesis.