Bio

Pauline obtained her training in organic chemistry from the University of Toronto, obtaining her M.Sc. degree with Adrian G. Brook, and Ph. D. with Mark Lautens supported by NSERC of Canada funding.  Under an NSERC fellowship, she undertook postdoctoral studies at Columbia University in New York working with Samuel J. Danishefsky.  She started her independent career at the University of Hong Kong in 2001, and is now Professor in the Department of Chemistry. 

Her research field is in organic synthesis—that is, she is a “maker” at the molecular level.  She invents reaction tools, and she uses those tools to “make” interesting and useful materials.

As a teacher, Pauline was recognized by the 2019 University Outstanding Teaching Award, and the 2021 Faculty of Science Teaching Innovations in eLearning Award.  She obtained the Advance Higher Education Senior Fellowship in 2020.

Publications/Awards/Other

• Dearomative Intramolecular (4+3) Cycloadditions of Thiophenes.  Zheng, Y.; Chen, Y.; He, Y.; Rizzo, A.; Zhou, Y.; Low, K. H.; Krenske, E. H. ; Chiu, P.   Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, e202407059.

• Diastereo- and Enantioselective Construction of Stereochemical Arrays Exploiting Non-Classical Hydrogen Bonding in Enolborates.  Li, M.; Scheeff, S.; Chen, J.; Johnston, R. C.; Rizzo, A.; Krenske, E. H.*; Chiu, P.* Chem. Eur. J. 2024, e202401485. 

• Practical Access to Trisubstituted Morita-Baylis-Hillman-Type Products Through Copper-catalyzed Reductive Aldol Reactions of Alkynones. Scheeff, S.; Chiu, P.* Asian J. Org. Chem. 2024, e202400422.

• Intermolecular (4 + 3) Cycloadditions of Oxetanyl and Azetidinyl Enolsilanes.  Chen, C. Z.; Chen, Y.; Rizzo, A.; Chiu, P.*  J. Org. Chem. 2024, 89, 17910–17916.

• Enantiomerically-enriched Aziridine-2-carboxylates via Copper-catalyzed Reductive Kinetic Resolution of 2H-Azirines.  Zheng, Y.; Ng, E.W. H.;  Rizzo, A.;* Chiu, P.*  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, e202423645.

• 2019 University Outstanding Teaching Award

• 2021 Faculty of Science Teaching Innovations in eLearning Award