“The most exciting thing about my research is seeing my students grow in confidence from uncertain beginners into individuals who have a clear sense of their future… If I were a piece of lab equipment, I would be 600 MHz NMR—valuable, well cared for, and relied upon by chemists who hope I'm in a good mood today to deliver clear spectra, not something easily discarded like gloves or vials…” Find out more about Hsuan-Hung Liao in his Introducing… Profile. 2004–2008 B.Sc. in Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan. 2008–2010 M.Sc. in Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan. 2012–2016 Dr. rer. nat. in Organic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Germany (Supervisor: Prof. Magnus Rueping). 2016–2017 Postdoctoral Researcher, RWTH Aachen University, Germany (with Prof. Magnus Rueping). 2017–2019 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellow, University of Bristol, UK (with Prof. Varinder K. Aggarwal). My favorite principle is the principle of microscopic reversibility because it rigorously establishes that forward and reverse reactions proceed along the same microscopic pathway, providing a fundamental basis for detailed balance and a consistent framework for mechanistic and kinetic analysis. My first experiment was preparing preparative TLC plates for the entire group. The most exciting thing about my research is seeing my students grow in confidence from uncertain beginners into individuals who have a clear sense of their future. A turning point in my career was studying overseas, where I engaged with diverse cultures, worked in an international environment, and learned from outstanding mentors. A skill that I would still like to learn is explaining complex topics in a simple way—even a child could understand them. My worst chemistry-related nightmare is rushing to the lab on a typhoon night as an undergraduate, expecting a good result, only to realize the reaction setup was completely wrong. The most challenging part of my job is convincing talented students to pursue academic careers rather than opting for highly paid positions in semiconductor companies, where the work is often repetitive in nature. I advise my students to think independently and find their own path, rather than simply following others’ choices. The most important thing I have learned from my students is that everyone is different, you can't teach everyone the same way and expect them all to understand. I am most proud of my students when their hard work is recognized by the community, whether through publications or student awards. If I were a piece of lab equipment, I would be a 600 MHz NMR—valuable, well cared for, and relied upon by chemists who hope I'm in a good mood today to deliver clear spectra, not something easily discarded like gloves or vials. To improve my work-life balance, I try to be extra nice to my wife so she willingly takes on more family duties—freeing up time for my research… and I just hope she never reads this and discovers my strategy. The best advice I have ever been given is that respect isn't given, you have to earn it. I lose track of time when I get a research idea and dive straight into the literature. If I won a million dollars in the lottery, I would stop writing next year's grant proposal. I recharge my batteries by playing tennis—especially when I win a tough match. If I were not a scientist, I would be a writer—perhaps a nonfiction writer. Guaranteed to make me laugh is my little daughter's smile. My favorite time of day is the night because my students have gone home, my family is asleep, and I finally have time for myself My favorite way to spend a holiday is with my family, exploring rural areas in new places, enjoying the scenery along the way, and the peace of the countryside. This project grew from our fascination with strain-release reactivity and the challenge of taming highly reactive ABBs to access unprecedented spirocyclic azetidine hybrids with new chemical spaces. Early on, the reaction was dominated by competing two-component pathways, making the desired multicomponent coupling elusive. We therefore fine-tuned the catalytic system and carefully selected cross-coupling partners to suppress these pathways while maintaining reactivity—an effort that required persistent optimization and a bit of faith in the concept. The author presented on this page has published his first article as a submitting corresponding author in Angewandte Chemie: “Strain-Release Diversification of 1-Azabicyclobutanes via Bromide/Nickel Relay Catalyzed 1,3-Bis-Carbofunctionalization”, Y. H. Lee, C. M. Hsu, S. Miñoza, Y. F. Shih, Y. C. Ding, T. Y. Hsu, S. T. Chen, K. C. Chang, W. H. Lee, Y. A. Lin, H. H. Liao, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2026, 65, e22817. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202522817
Hsuan‐Hung Liao (Fri,) studied this question.