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Philip Wai Hong Chan

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Philip Wai Hong Chan

Professor

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8786-6143
1997 …2025

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

I  obtained my B.Sc.(Honours) degree in chemistry from the University of Bristol (U.K.) in 1995 and was awarded his D.Phil. degree from the University of Oxford (U.K.) in 1998, under the supervision of Professor Mark G. Moloney. I subsequently completed postdoctoral studies with Professors Yoshinori Yamamoto at Tohoku University (Japan), Craig A. Hutton at The University of Sydney (Australia), and Chi-Ming Che at The University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong). In 2006, I began my independent career as an Assistant Professor before rising to the rank of Associate Professor at the Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). In 2014, I moved to the School of Chemistry at Monash University (Australia) to take up my current position as Professor of Chemistry.

Research interests

We are a synthetic research group with broad interests spanning organic and inorganic chemistry group. Our focus is presently on the discovery and understanding of new and sustainable reactions through the power of homogeneous catalysis and their application to the synthesis of bioactive natural products and functional materials.
 

Supervision interests

  • Homogeneous transition metal catalysis, one of the most powerful and stereoselective synthetic tools in the chemist’s armory for the assembly of complex molecules from readily accessible precursors in a single step.
  • Photoredox catalysis driven by either a metal or organic dye photocatalyst in the presence of a light source, which is currently a hot topic in research. We aim to realise new reactivities, develop new catalysts along the way and provide mechanistic insights into these novel synthetic technologies.
  • Organocatalysis, one of the most powerful catalytic methods to emerge over the last two decades to rapidly achieve molecular complexity in an enantioselective manner from readily accessible precursors. We aim to develop the organocatalytic reaction chemistry of pi-rich alcohols in view of the low cost and ease of substrate preparation that provides the opportunity to introduce a wide variety of substituents. Added to this is the potential formation of water as the only byproduct that makes it a highly attractive environmentally sustainable and atom-economical approach.

Monash teaching commitment

  • CHM1022 – Chemistry 2 
  • CHM2911 – Inorganic and Organic Chemistry
  • CHM3922 – Advanced Organic Chemistry

Education/Academic qualification

Organic Chemistry, D.Phil., Routes to Enantiopure Functionalized Pyrrolidines, University of Oxford

Award Date: 14 Dec 1998

Chemistry, B.Sc.(Honours), The Asymmetric Synthesis of alpha-Amino Acid and Phosphono-substituted Amino Acid Derivatives, University of Bristol

Award Date: 30 Jun 1995

Research area keywords

  • Organic Chemistry
  • Organic Synthesis
  • Inorganic Chemistry
  • Inorganic Materials and Composites
  • Transition Metal Catalysis
  • Transition Metal Chemistry
  • Antimicrobial Agent
  • Anticancer Agent
  • Materials Chemistry
  • Photocatalysis
  • Organocatalysis
  • Natural Products Chemistry

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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View all 6 projects
View all 163 research outputs
View all 7 prizes