Prof. Huilei Yu | Biocatalysis | Research Excellence Award
East China University of Science and Technology | China
Prof. Huilei Yu is a leading scholar in biocatalysis and bioprocess engineering and currently serves as Professor at the State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), Shanghai, China. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from ECUST in 2008 under the mentorship of Prof. Jianhe Xu and rapidly advanced in her academic career, being appointed Associate Professor in 2010 and promoted to full Professor in 2017. From 2013–2014, she was a Visiting Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she expanded her work on metabolic engineering and computational enzyme design. Prof. Yu’s research is positioned at the intersection of enzyme engineering, artificial intelligence-assisted design, and sustainable biomanufacturing. Her work focuses on structure-guided rational design of enzymes, advanced AI-driven enzyme optimization, and biocatalytic synthesis of high-value chemicals including chiral sulfoxides, hydroxy acids, and pharmaceutical intermediates. Her research has pioneered next-generation enzyme engineering frameworks that integrate molecular modeling, machine learning, and catalytic mechanism elucidation to achieve improved substrate adaptability, stability, selectivity, and process efficiency. She has authored numerous high-impact publications in journals such as Angewandte Chemie, Science Advances, ACS Catalysis, ChemSusChem, and Organic Process Research & Development. Several of her enzyme-based catalytic systems have been successfully transferred to industrial practice, contributing to waste minimization, carbon reduction, and greener pharmaceutical synthesis. Her methodologies for enantioselective synthesis of chiral sulfoxides and alcohols are particularly recognized for reducing solvent usage and enabling scalable industrial applicability. Prof. Yu serves as Executive Editor of Bioresources and Bioprocessing and actively participates in international scientific societies and collaborative consortia. Her contributions have been recognized through multiple awards, including Outstanding Academic Leader of Shanghai, Outstanding Young Enzymologist Award, and the First-Level Technical Innovation Award of Shanghai. Through interdisciplinary leadership, impactful innovation, and translational research achievements, Prof. Huilei Yu continues to shape the global landscape of enzyme biotechnology and sustainable chemical manufacturing.
Featured Publications
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Multiple Authors (2025). Hinge loop reconstruction facilitates hydride transfer in Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases.
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Multiple Authors (2025). Engineering an unspecific peroxygenase from Thielavia terrestris for specific terminal oxidation of xylene derivatives.
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Multiple Authors (2025). Flipping of a non-productive substrate binding conformation facilitates hydroxynitrile lyase catalyzed hydrocyanation.
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Multiple Authors (2025). Reprogramming the catalytic pocket of Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenase for environmentally compatible synthesis of a chiral sulfoxide pharmaceutical.
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Multiple Authors (2025). An engineered meso-diaminopimelate dehydrogenase enables the biocatalytic synthesis of bulky β-substituted D-amino acids.