Mingyu Luo

1st Year DPhil Student

I’m originally from Beijing, China. I obtained my BSc in Chemical Technology from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), where I was supervised by Prof. Wing-Yiu Yu on the facile synthesis of 1,2,4-triazoles and the nickel-catalyzed distal-selective gem-difluorovinylation of alkenes. In June 2024, I joined Prof. Patrick Steel’s group at Durham University for an internship on the vectorial functionalization of new heterocyclic cores for fragment-based drug discovery. I began my DPhil in Organic Chemistry in 2025 with the Dixon group, focusing on Vaska-type catalyst-mediated reduction reactions. Outside the lab, I enjoy badminton, playing the piano, scuba and freediving, and learning languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, English, French, and Spanish