Dr Ng obtained his BSc degree in Chemistry from Imperial College London (funded by Macau Government Special Scholarship) with Departmental Prize of Organic Chemistry, and his PhD degree from The University of Hong Kong in 2017.

After graduation, he first pursued a postdoc in organic synthesis in Prof Pauline Chiu’s group (HKU and SUSTech), during which he was involved in developing new organometallic reactions. After years of research in organic synthesis, he brought his expertise to a different field of research, pursuing computational chemistry in Prof Hajime Hirao’s group (CUHK-SZ), during which he studied chemical reactions by computational methods.

He returned to HKU and joined the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy in 2023. Currently he is an assistant lecturer in the department.

Honours and Awards

Medallion for Excellence, in IT/Software Applications (39^th WorldSkills International Competition, Shizuoka, Japan, 2007)

• The “Olympic Game” of vocational skills, between 85 countries/regions

• Accelerating Drug Cocrystal Discovery by Computational Methods
• Study Chemical Reactions by Quantum Mechanical Methods and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Publication Highlights

• Yue, D.; Ng, E. W. H.; Hirao, H.*, Hydrogen-Bond-Assisted Catalysis: Hydroxylation of Paclitaxel by Human CYP2C8, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146 (44), 30117-30125.
• Lee, Y.; Kim, B.; Kim, S.; Ng, E. W. H.; Ariyasu, S.; Shoji, O.; Yoon, S.; Hirao, H.; Cho, J., Influence of Solvents on Catalytic C–H Bond Oxidation by a Copper(II)–Alkylperoxo Complex. ACS Catal., 2024, 14 (5), 3524-3532
• (co-first author) Jin, Y.; Fan, L-F; Ng, E. W. H.; Yu, Lu; Hirao, H.*; Gong, L.Z.*, Atom Transfer Radical Coupling Enables Highly Enantioselective Carbo-Oxygenation of Alkenes with Hydrocarbons, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2023, 145 (40), 22031–22040.
• Teng, S.; Ng, E. W. H.; Zhang, Z.; Soon, C.N.; Xu, H.; Li, R.; Hirao, H.*; Loh, T-P*, Alkynone β-trifluoroborates: a new class of amine-specific biocompatible click reagents. Sci. Adv., 2023, 9 (17), eadg4924.
• Nilouyal, S.; Karahan, H. E.; Ng, E. W. H.; Yamaguchi, D.; Ito, M. M. M.; Qin, D.; Hirao, H.; Sivaniah, E.*; Ghalei, B.*, Nanobiomineralization of Carbon Dioxide by Molecularly Engineered Metal-Histidine Complex Nanozymes. Chem. Mater. 2023, 35 (4), 1610–1623.
• (co-first author) Xi, J.; Ng, E. W. H.; Ho, C.-Y.*, Unsymmetric N-Aryl Substituent Effects on Chiral NHC-Cu: Enantioselectivity and Reactivity Enhancement by Ortho-H and Syn-Configuration. ACS Catal. 2023, 13 (1), 407–421.
• (co-first author) Jin, Y., Ng, E.W.H., Fan, T., Hirao, H.*, Gong, L.Z., Photochemical Allylation of Alkanes Enabled by Nickel Catalysis, ACS Catal. 2022, 12 (16), 10039–10046.
• Yong, X., Ng, E.W.H., Zhen, Z., Lin, X., Gao, W., Ho, C.*, NHC‐Ni(0) catalyzed diastereodivergent hydroacylative enyne cyclization: synthesis of heterocycles bearing γ‐enone. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2020, 362 (19), 4164–4172.
• Ng, E. W. H.; Low, K-H+, Chiu, P.*, Synthesis and Applications of Unquaternized C-Bound Boron Enolates. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140(10), 3537-3541 (Highlighted in Organic Process Research & Development)
• (co-first author) Wong, K. C.; Ng, E.; Wong, W.-T.+; Chiu, P.*, Copper Hydride Catalyzed Reductive Claisen Rearrangements. Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22 (11), 3709-3712
• Pisaneschi, F.; Sejberg, J. J. P.; Blain, C.; Ng, W. H.; Aboagye, E. O.; Spivey, A. C.*, 2-Substituted-2,3-dihydro-1H-quinolin-4-ones via Acid-Catalyzed Tandem Rupe Rearrangement-Donnelly-Farrell Ring Closure of 2-(3′-Hydroxy-propynyl)anilines. Synlett 2011, 2011 (02), 241-244

Selected Publications

• Ng, E. W. H.; Low, K-H+, Chiu, P.*, Synthesis and Applications of Unquaternized C-Bound Boron Enolates. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140(10), 3537-3541 (Highlighted in Organic Process Research & Development)
• (co-first author) Jin, Y.; Fan, L-F; Ng, E. W. H.; Yu, Lu; Hirao, H.*; Gong, L.Z.*, Atom Transfer Radical Coupling Enables Highly Enantioselective Carbo-Oxygenation of Alkenes with Hydrocarbons, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2023, 145 (40), 22031–22040.
• (co-first author) Xi, J.; Ng, E. W. H.; Ho, C.-Y.*, Unsymmetric N-Aryl Substituent Effects on Chiral NHC-Cu: Enantioselectivity and Reactivity Enhancement by Ortho-H and Syn-Configuration. ACS Catal. 2023, 13 (1), 407–421.
• (co-first author) Jin, Y., Ng, E.W.H., Fan, T., Hirao, H.*, Gong, L.Z., Photochemical Allylation of Alkanes Enabled by Nickel Catalysis, ACS Catal. 2022, 12 (16), 10039–10046.
• (co-first author) Wong, K. C.; Ng, E.; Wong, W.-T.+; Chiu, P.*, Copper Hydride Catalyzed Reductive Claisen Rearrangements. Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22 (11), 3709-3712