Suyun Sun, a PhD student who is under Prof. Julio Lloret-Fillol supervision, has successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled “Chloroalkanes as Radical Precursors Mediated by Well – Defined Nickel Catalysts under Photoredox Catalysis: Synthetic Application and Mechanistic Investigation” publicly Monday, 8 September.
The members of the evaluation committee were Prof. Rubén Martín Romo (ICIQ), Prof. Fabio Juliá Hernández (Universidad de Murcia) and Dr. Esther Alza (Treellum Technologies).
Suyun Sun obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Polymer Science and Engineering from Shenyang University of Chemical Technology and his Master’s degree in Chemistry from ICIQ. In the spring of 2021, he joined the Lloret-Fillol group at ICIQ. Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking, photography, botany, horticulture, floristry, and classical music. Suyun’s doctoral research is generously funded by the China Scholarship Council, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the P.R.C.
Why did you become a scientist?
As chemists, we create compounds and complexes that have never before existed on this planet. To me, conducting scientific research is not only meaningful but also genuinely exciting
What is your thesis about?
My research focuses on utilizing inert chloroalkanes as building blocks in organic synthesis through photoredox nickel catalysis, underpinned by comprehensive mechanistic understanding.
What triggered your interest for the subject of your thesis?
For me, science is about building on the knowledge and achievements of those who came before us, and then pushing the boundaries to realize what once seemed impossible. My thesis embodies this spirit: drawing on established concepts in catalysis while developing new strategies that unlock previously inaccessible reactivity.
From the lessons learnt (or skills developed) at ICIQ, which one do you value the most?
If the things don’t work, make them work.
What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your PhD?
I wish I had known that I would actually enjoy the journey and feel proud of myself, just as I do now, while writing these words.
What advice do you have for someone who’s starting their PhD now?
Project mostly don’t go as planned, half of your PhD will be fixing things that don’t work, and the other half will be realizing your results raise more questions than they answer. But hey, that’s perfectly normal.
If you were a piece of lab equipment, what would you be?
A cuvette. It is versatile for various spectroscopic techniques, and I believe I get along with it very well.
Tell us something about you that people might not know…
Beyond science, I’m both a florist / gardening enthusiast and a flutist. One lets me work with colours and scents, the other with sounds and melodies
La entrada 恭喜, Dr. Sun! se publicó primero en ICIQ.