Dr. Maolin Li

Chemocatalysis: Focused on developing efficient catalysts for enantioselective organic synthesis reactions, enhancing synthetic processes in organic chemistry and achieving highly selective outcomes. Specific accomplishments include the development of a novel catalyst for synthesizing chiral amino acids and asymmetric hydrogenation of olefins.

Biocatalysis: Engaged in advancing the field of biocatalysis through the development of new-to-nature photoenzymatic reactions that incorporate protein engineering and directed evolution. This work has led to innovative methods for controlling the remote stereochemistry of functional groups, expanding the potential of biologically catalyzed chemical reactions.

Computational research: Extensively used computational methods, including Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculation and a combination of molecular dynamics and quantum chemistry (cluster model), to simulate and investigate organic and enzymatic reactions. This interdisciplinary approach has facilitated the development of a multi-scale computational model for small molecules and enzymes, addressing a broad spectrum of practical challenges in catalysis.

Whole-cell biocatalysis: Utilizing tools from synthetic biology and machine learning, along with high-throughput screening methods, to develop new-to-nature enzymatic bioorthogonal reactions in vivo. These efforts are aimed at the biosynthesis of complex compounds, leveraging novel enzymatic pathways to pioneer new approaches in synthetic biology.

New-to-nature biosynthesis: Integrating photobiocatalytic reactions with microbial biosynthesis to create a groundbreaking photobiosynthesis platform. This approach uses synthetic biology to enable microorganisms like E. coli. to produce new bioactive compounds through a new-to-nature pathway.