Rui Sun

Rui Sun is an Associate Professor and Department Associate Chair in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His research focuses on computational methods for studying chemical reactions and biochemical processes, including gas-phase reaction mechanisms, solvent effects in condensed-phase reactions, and drug permeation modeling. He has collaborated with Eli Lilly and Company on small molecule drug permeation studies.

• B.S. in Chemistry, Shandong University (2009)
• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Texas Tech University (2014)
• Postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago (2014–2017) under Gregory A. Voth

Dr. Sun’s work integrates ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and enhanced sampling techniques to advance understanding of biophysical systems and reaction mechanisms. He joined UH Manoa in 2017 and holds affiliations with the Graduate Faculty and Departmental committees.

His research has been supported by industry partnerships and awards, including the Eli Lilly Scientific and Technical Advisory Board Award. He contributes to both teaching and administrative roles within the Department of Chemistry.