Pengfei Wang

Pengfei Wang is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), with concurrent appointments as Senior Scientist in multiple units including the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and School of Optometry. His career spans over 19 years at UAB since 2005.

• Education:
  • PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • MS, University of Illinois at Chicago
  • BS/B.Eng, Tsinghua University

Research focuses on:

• Development of photolabile protecting groups via excited state meta effect
• Vaccine adjuvant synthesis from natural saponins
• Photoresponsive materials for biomedical applications
• New glycosylation methods using allyl glycosides
• Carbohydrate antigen synthesis for diagnostics
• Light-activated prodrugs for cancer therapy

Recent publications show consistent output in Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and Journal of Organic Chemistry. Key themes include:

• Saponin structure-activity relationships
• UV-triggered functional group release
• Water-compatible photochemistry
• Immunostimulant design for vaccines
• Benzylic bond cleavage mechanisms
• Photodegradable polymer systems

Current teaching responsibilities include advanced courses:

• CH430 - Physical Organic Chemistry
• CH730 - Advanced Physical Organic
• CH798/799 - Research Supervision

Major research funding sources:

• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Adjuvax LLC partnerships
• Alabama Department of Economic Affairs