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Peng Liu
Prof. Peng Liu

Richard King Mellon Chair of Chemistry

Department of Chemistry

University Pittsburgh

Phone

(412) 383-5065

Email

pengliu@pitt.edu

Office

225 Eberly Hall

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About Peng

Academic Appointments

  • Richard King Mellon Chair (2025 – Present)

  • Professor (2022 – 2025)

  • Associate Professor (2019 – 2022)

  • Assistant Professor (2014 – 2019)

Education and Training

  • Postdoctoral Scholar: University of California, Los Angeles (Advisor: Kendall N. Houk), 2010–2014

  • Ph.D. (Chemistry): University of California, Los Angeles (Advisor: Kendall N. Houk), 2006–2010

  • M.Sc. (Chemistry): University of Guelph, Canada (Advisor: John D. Goddard), 2004–2006

  • B.Sc. (Chemistry): Peking University, China, (Advisor: Wenjian Liu) 1999–2003

Awards & Honors

  • 2025: Award for Excellence in Graduate Mentoring

  • 2020: Chancellor's Distinguished Research Award

  • 2020: Innovation in Education Award

  • 2020: db-SERC Course Transformation Award

  • 2018: NIH Maximizing Investigators' Research Award for Early Stage Investigators (ESI-MIRA)

  • 2018: Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry Award for Early Excellence

  • 2017: NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award

  • 2012: Chancellor's Award for Postdoctoral Research

Teaching

  • CHEM 2310: Advanced Organic Chemistry I (Graduate)

    • Focuses on the principles and tools to investigate mechanisms, reactivities, and structure-reactivity relationships in organic reactions. Topics include physical organic chemistry tools, isotope effects, linear free energy relationships, and frontier molecular orbital theory.

  • CHEM 0310 / 0320: Organic Chemistry 1 & 2 (Undergraduate)

    • Introduction to the structure, reactivity, and synthesis of organic molecules, including biologically relevant functional molecules.

  • CHEM 0730 / 0740: Honors Organic Chemistry 1 & 2 (Undergraduate)

    • Introductory courses at the David C. Frederick Honors College focusing on basic concepts of organic molecular structures and reactions.

  • CHEM 1460 / 3460: Introduction to Computational Chemistry (Undergraduate / Graduate)

    • A mixed undergraduate/graduate course covering modern theoretical methods, QM calculations for structure and reactivity prediction, and hands-on experience with computational software.

Memberships

  • Theme Leader, Catalysis Innovation Consortium (CIC)

  • Advisory Board Member, Reaction Mechanisms Conference

  • Advisory Board Member, Tetrahedron Chem

  • Member, Pittsburgh Quantum Institute (PQI)

  • Member, Computational Modeling and Simulation Program, University of Pittsburgh

  • Member, International Carbene and Nitrene Consortium (ICNC)

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