Assistant Professor Education: Bowdoin College (2001); Ph.D. University of California - Los Angeles (2007); Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California - Los Angeles (2007 - 2009). Awards: Hypercube scholar award (2001); John Stauffer Fellowship (2006); Thomas L. and Ruth F. Jacobs Award (2007). Email: paulhcheong@gmail.com Office: Gilbert 303 Phone: 541-737-2081 FAX: 541-737-2062 Research Group Website: http://www.chemistry.oregonstate.edu/cheong/ Organic and Bioorganic Website: http://www.chemistry.oregonstate.edu/organic/

Revolutionary advances in the field of computers, theory, and algorithms have put a vast area of modern synthetic organic chemistry within reach of highly accurate quantum mechanical investigations. Our group applies state-of-the-art computational methods to provide a detailed understanding of how modern synthetic processes work, and to aid in the design of new reactions and catalysts.

Current research foci in our group consist of:
1. the selectivities and mechanisms of Rh(I)- and Au(I)-catalyzed reactions
2. the mechanisms and origins of stereoselectivities of organocatalysts
3. the structure, function, preorganization, and reactivities of peptide catalysts

• Direct asymmetric anti-Mannich-Type reactions catalyzed by a designed amino acid, Mitsumori, S.; Zhang, H.; Cheong, P. H.-Y.; Houk, K. N.; Tanaka, F.; Barbas, C. F., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 1040-1041.

• Torsional steering controls the stereoselectivity of epoxidation in the Guanacastepene A synthesis, Cheong, P. H.-Y.; Yun, H.; Danishefsky, S. J.; Houk, K. N., Org. Lett. 2006, 8, 1513-1516.

• Origins of Differences in Reactivities of Alkenes, Alkynes, and Allenes in [Rh(CO)2Cl]2-Catalyzed (5+2) Cycloaddition Reactions with Vinylcyclopropanes, Yu, Z.-X.; Cheong,P. H.-Y.; Liu, P.; Legault, C. Y.; Wender, P. A.; Houk, K. N., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 2378-2379.

• Gold-Catalyzed Cycloisomerization of 1,5-Allenynes via Dual Activation of an Ene Reaction, Cheong, P. H.-Y.; Morganelli, P.; Luzung, M. R.; Houk, K. N.; Toste, F. D., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 4517-4526.

• Computational Prediction of Small Molecule Catalysts, Houk, K. N.; Cheong, P. H.-Y. Nature 2008, 455, 309-313.