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Dr. Huiqi Ni
Dr. Huiqi NiÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ

Wehr Chemistry Building, 654

MilwaukeeWI53201United States of America(414) 288-1085

Assistant Professor

Organic Synthesis and Catalysis

Education

Ph.D., The Scripps Research Institute

B.Sc., University of Science and Technology of China

Research Interests

The Ni Lab is a synthetic organic chemistry group dedicated to developing novel transition metal-catalyzed methodologies for the synthesis of bioactive compounds to accelerate drug discovery. Drug discovery plays a critical role in improving human health, yet the efficient construction of compound libraries with drug-like properties remains a significant challenge. Our lab aims to create new tools for building complex molecules from simple building blocks, enabling late-stage functionalization and rapid generation of drug-like compound libraries. Our research focuses on three main areas:

1. Streamlining heterocycle and carbocycle synthesis to access previously inaccessible cyclic structures relevant to medicinal chemistry. We will design new reaction systems that offer precise stereochemical control in ring formation.

2. Advancing green and sustainable chemistry through the development of novel catalysts, paired reaction systems to minimize waste, and the integration of machine learning tools to accelerate reaction optimization.

3. Creating new methods for rapid library construction, with a particular emphasis on covalent inhibitors and molecular glue libraries to support high-throughput screening and drug candidate identification.

 

Professional Experience

Dr. Huiqi Ni earned her B.S. degree from the University of Science and Technology of China, where she conducted research in Prof. Xi-Sheng Wang’s lab on nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling reactions for late-stage monofluoroalkylation. During her undergraduate studies, she also completed summer research internships in organic chemistry at Scripps Research with Prof. Keary Engle and at UCLA with Prof. Neil Garg. In 2019, she began her Ph.D. studies at Scripps Research under the mentorship of Prof. Keary Engle, focusing on palladium-catalyzed alkene annulation reactions. In 2023, she continued her training as a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Nathanael Gray’s lab at Stanford University, where her work centers on developing novel small-molecule inhibitors targeting cancer-related proteins. Dr. Ni joined the Department of Chemistry at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ in August 2025 as an Assistant Professor.

Selected Publications

Please see the full list on .

  1. Ni, H.-Q.; Alturaifi, T.; Rodphon, W.; Scherschel. N. F.; Yang, S.; Wang, F.; McAlpine, I. J.; Piercey, D. G.; Liu, P.; Engle, K. M. Anti-Selective Cyclopropanation of Non-Conjugated Alkenes with Diverse Pronucleophiles via Directed Nucleopalladation, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 24503–24514.
  2. Ni, H.-Q.†; Dai, J.-C.†; Yang, S.; Loach, R. P.; Chuba, M. D.; McAlpine, I. J.; Engle, K. M. Catalytic σ-Bond Annulation with Ambiphilic Organohalides Enabled by β-X Elimination. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202306581. (†Authors contributed equally)
  3. Ni, H.-Q.; Karunananda, M. K.; Zeng, T.; Yang, S.; Liu, Z.; Houk, K. N.; Liu, P.; Engle, K. M. Redox-Paired Alkene Difunctionalization Enables Skeletally Divergent Synthesis, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 12351–12359.
  4. Ni, H.-Q.; Cooper, P.; Yang, S.; Wang, F.; Sach, N.; Bedekar, P. G.; Donaldson, J. S.; Tran-Dubé, M.; McAlpine, I. J.; Engle, K. M. Mapping Ambiphile Reactivity Patterns in the Anti-(Hetero)annulation of Non-Conjugated Alkenes via Pd(II)/Pd(IV) Catalysis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202114346.
  5. Sheng J.†; Ni, H.-Q.†; Ni, S.-X.; He, Y.; Cui, R.; Liao, G.-X.; Wu, B.-B.; Wang, X.-S. Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Aliphatic Fluorides via Reductive C(sp3)−C(sp3) Cross-Coupling Fluoroalkylation. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 15020–15027. (†Authors contributed equally)
  6. Ni, H.-Q.; Kevlishvili, I.; Bedekar, P. G.; Barber, J. S.; Yang, S.; Tran-Dubé, M; Romine, A. M.; Lu, H.-X.; McAlpine, I. J.; Liu, P.; Engle, K. M. Anti-Selective [3+2] (Hetero)annulation of Nonconjugated Alkenes via Directed Nucleopalladation. Nat. Commun. 2020, 11, 6432.doi.org/10.1016/j.tetlet.2021.153097

Chemistry Directory

CONTACT

Department of Chemistry

Todd Wehr Chemistry, 101
1414 W Clybourn St
PO Box 1881
Milwaukee, WI 53233
(414) 288-3515

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