Profile picture for Mayuko Isomura

Contact Information

Department of Chemistry
University of Illinois
361 RAL
600 South Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801

Research Areas

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Biography

Professor Mayuko Isomura was born in Tokyo, Japan. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemistry from the University of Tokyo, where she conducted research in the laboratory of Professor Eiichi Nakamura. She earned her Ph.D. from ETH Zürich in 2020 under the direction of Professor Erick M. Carreira. Following her doctoral studies, she joined the group of Professor Eric N. Jacobsen at Harvard University as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2025, Professor Isomura started her independent career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

Research Interests

Synthetic organic chemistry; novel reaction development; enantioselective catalysis; elucidation of reaction mechanisms

Research Description

The Isomura Lab is a synthetic organic chemistry group engaged in the development of new catalytic reactions to address fundamental challenges in chemical reactivity and enantioselectivity. Our research aims to expand the capabilities of organic synthesis by designing enantioselective catalytic methods that provide efficient access to valuable molecular architectures, particularly nitrogen-containing compounds. We are also deeply interested in elucidating reaction mechanisms and incorporate tools from physical organic chemistry and computational chemistry, such as DFT, to better understand and refine the transformations we develop. Our long-term vision is to establish broadly applicable and conceptually innovative strategies that overcome long-standing limitations in synthesis and open new avenues for molecular construction.

Awards and Honors

2022-2024   Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Overseas Research Fellowship
2022-2024   Funai Postdoctoral Scholarship
2021-2022   Swiss National Science Foundation Early Postdoc. Mobility.
2016-2018   Funai Overseas Scholarship
2014               Incentive Award of the School of Science, University of Tokyo

Courses Taught

CHEM 534: Advanced Organic Synthesis

Highlighted Publications

1.  Gair, J. J.+; Isomura, M.+; Wagen, C. C.; Strassfeld, D. A.; Jacobsen, E. N. Enantioselective Ring Opening of Azetidines via Charge Recognition in Hydrogen-Bond-Donor Catalysis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 8, 6378–6383. (https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c00165)

2.  Isomura, M.; Petrone, D. A.; Carreira, E. M. Construction of Vicinal Quaternary Centers via Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allenylic Alkylation of Racemic Tertiary Alcohols. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 3323-3329. (https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.1c00609)

3.  Isomura, M.+; Petrone, D. A.+; Carreira, E. M. Coordination-Induced Stereocontrol over Carbocations: Asymmetric Reductive Deoxygenation of Racemic Tertiary Alcohols. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 4738-4748. (https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.9b00862)

  (+ denotes equal contribution)