Yankai Liu

Dr. Yankai Liu is a Marie Curie Fellow at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), affiliated with Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona, Spain. His research centers on asymmetric organocatalysis with a focus on developing novel catalytic methodologies for complex molecule synthesis.

His primary research domains include:

• Asymmetric Catalysis
• Organocatalysis
• Synthetic Organic Chemistry
• Vinylogous Iminium Ion Chemistry
• Dienamine Catalysis
• Regio- and Stereoselective Transformations

Analysis of Dr. Liu's publications (2011-2013) reveals a consistent emphasis on logical substrate design to control molecular topology in vinylogous systems. His work strategically employs iminium ion and dienamine activation to achieve unprecedented selectivity in 1,6-additions, aldol reactions, and Diels-Alder cycloadditions. Key innovations include H-bond-directing catalysis and multicatalytic cascade sequences enabling access to complex heterocyclic scaffolds like tetrahydrocarbazoles.

His scientific recognition includes the prestigious Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IIF agreement no. 273088), with additional project funding from Organo-Cas.

Dr. Liu conducted his research within Prof. Paolo Melchiorre's group at ICIQ, engaging in extensive collaborations evidenced by co-authorships with Mattia Silvi, Indranil Chatterjee, Xu Tian, and Manuel Nappi. His work leveraged ICIQ's advanced core facilities including high-resolution mass spectrometry, NMR, and photophysics characterization platforms.

The research environment at ICIQ provided critical infrastructure for developing sustainable catalytic methodologies aligned with the institute's focus on renewable energy and molecular medicine applications.