Huw Davies, PhD

Research Program

Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics
Phone Number

404-727-6839
Email Address

hmdavie@emory.edu

Biography

Huw M. L. Davies, PhD, joined the Emory University faculty in 2008 as the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Organic Chemistry. He is a member of the Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to Emory, he held the positions of UB Distinguished Professor and Larkin Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York.

Education

Dr. Davies received his BSc degree from University College in Cardiff, Wales, and his PhD from the University of East Anglia. He completed his post-doctoral training at Princeton University.

Titles & Roles

Asa Griggs Candler Professor, Department of Chemistry

Emory University
Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Chemistry

Emory University

Research

Dr. Davies' research emphasizes the development of new enantioselective synthetic methods and their applications in total synthesis and drug discovery. His program covers design of chiral catalysts, carbenoid chemistry, development of new synthetic methodology, total synthesis of biologically active natural products and development of chiral therapeutic agents. Many research groups have used his chiral dirhodium catalysts and several of them are commercially available.

Grants

View Grants

Grant Number	Title
1R35GM158221-01	Novel Bowl-shaped Catalysts for Selective C-H Functionalization

Publications

Title/Journal	Authors	Publication Date
Academic-Industrial Collaboration in Synthesis with Real-Time Impact in Medicinal Chemistry: Discovery of Cystic Fibrosis C2 Corrector ABBV-602. ACS medicinal chemistry letters	EA Voight, W Gong, DJ Hardee, TR Hodges, MR Schrimpf, SP Lathrop, JC Sharland, B Wei, HML Davies	11/13/2025
Enantioselective and Diastereoselective Synthesis of Azaspiro[n.2]alkanes by Rhodium-Catalyzed Cyclopropanations. ACS catalysis	JK Sailer, D Ly, A Wang, DG Musaev, HML Davies	09/05/2025
Direct Synthesis of Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes by Sequential C═C, C-C Functionalization Reactions. Journal of the American Chemical Society	JK Sailer, D Ly, DG Musaev, HML Davies	08/27/2025
Asymmetric C-H Functionalization of N-Boc-2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrole and Its Application as a Key Step in the Synthesis of (-)-Dragocin D. Journal of the American Chemical Society	TH Nguyen, K Shimabukuro, DG Musaev, J Bacsa, A Navarro, HML Davies	08/06/2025
Impact of Induced Fitting and Secondary Noncovalent Interactions on Site-Selective and Enantioselective C-H Functionalization of Arylcyclohexanes. Journal of the American Chemical Society	D Ly, YT Boni, K Korvorapun, V Derdau, J Bacsa, DG Musaev, HML Davies	07/09/2025
Hexafluoroisopropanol Solvent Effects on Enantioselectivity of Dirhodium Tetracarboxylate-Catalyzed Cyclopropanation. Journal of the American Chemical Society	TM Alturaifi, K Shimabukuro, JC Sharland, BK Mai, EA Weingarten, MC Madhusudhanan, DG Musaev, P Liu, HML Davies	04/30/2025
C ₄-Symmetric Bowl-Shaped Diruthenium Tetracarboxylate Catalysts for Enantioselective C-H Functionalization Using Donor/Acceptor Carbenes. ACS catalysis	JK Sailer, J Bacsa, HML Davies	04/18/2025
Diversity Synthesis Using Glutarimides as Rhodium Carbene Precursors in Enantioselective C-H Functionalization and Cyclopropanation. Journal of the American Chemical Society	WF Tracy, JC Sharland, D Ly, GHM Davies, DG Musaev, H Fang, J Moreno, EC Cherney, HML Davies	04/02/2025
Stereoselective Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Bicyclo[2.1.0]pentanes by Sequential [2 + 1] and [2 + 2] Cycloadditions. Organic letters	B Keen, C Cong, A Castanedo, GHM Davies, RR Knowles, HML Davies	02/21/2025
Molecular Dynamics of the Davies Ambimodal C-H Functionalization/Cope Rearrangement Reaction. The Journal of organic chemistry	Y Zhang, C Cao, Y She, HML Davies, YF Yang, KN Houk	12/06/2024
Facile Recovery and Recycling of a Soluble Dirhodium Catalyst in Asymmetric Cyclopropanation via a Catalyst-in-Bag System. Organic process research & development	U Ryu, D Ly, K Shimabukuro, HML Davies, CW Jones	11/15/2024
Total synthesis of (-)-cylindrocyclophane A facilitated by C-H functionalization. Science (New York, N.Y.)	AT Bosse, LR Hunt, CA Suarez, TD Casselman, EL Goldstein, AC Wright, H Park, SC Virgil, JQ Yu, BM Stoltz, HML Davies	11/08/2024
Asymmetric Dirhodium-Catalyzed Modification of Immunomodulatory Imide Drugs and Their Biological Assessment. ACS medicinal chemistry letters	WF Tracy, GHM Davies, L Jia, ED Evans, Z Sun, J Buenviaje, G Khambatta, S Yu, L Shi, V Shanmugasundaram, J Moreno, EC Cherney, HML Davies	09/12/2024
D₄-Symmetric Dirhodium Tetrakis(binaphthylphosphate) Catalysts for Enantioselective Functionalization of Unactivated C-H Bonds. Journal of the American Chemical Society	Z Chen, K Shimabukuro, J Bacsa, DG Musaev, HML Davies	07/17/2024
Heterogeneous Fe-N-C Catalyst for Aerobic Dehydrogenation of Hydrazones to Diazo Compounds Used for Carbene Transfer. Journal of the American Chemical Society	MN Hall, M Lee, TW Root, HML Davies, SS Stahl	05/22/2024
Rhodium(II)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Cyclopropanation and Desymmetrization of [2.2]Paracyclophanes. ACS catalysis	D Ly, J Bacsa, HML Davies	05/03/2024
Better Together: Catalyzing Innovation in Organic Synthesis via Academic-Industrial Consortia. Organic letters	J Alcázar, EA Anderson, HML Davies, R Febrian, CB Kelly, T Noël, EA Voight, C Zarate, E Zysman-Colman	04/12/2024
Stereoselective Synthesis of Either Exo- or Endo-3-Azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane-6-carboxylates by Dirhodium(II)-Catalyzed Cyclopropanation with Ethyl Diazoacetate under Low Catalyst Loadings. Organic letters	TH Nguyen, A Navarro, JC Ruble, HML Davies	04/12/2024
Anhydrous and Stereoretentive Fluoride-Enhanced Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling of Immunomodulatory Imide Drug Derivatives. The Journal of organic chemistry	WF Tracy, GHM Davies, LN Grant, JM Ganley, J Moreno, EC Cherney, HML Davies	04/05/2024
Diaryldiazoketones as Effective Carbene Sources for Highly Selective Rh(II)-Catalyzed Intermolecular C-H Functionalization. Journal of the American Chemical Society	TH Nguyen, AT Bosse, D Ly, CA Suarez, J Fu, K Shimabukuro, DG Musaev, HML Davies	03/27/2024
Enantioselective Intermolecular C-H Functionalization of Primary Benzylic C-H Bonds Using ((Aryl)(diazo)methyl)phosphonates. ACS catalysis	Y Naeem, BT Matsuo, HML Davies	01/05/2024
A Novel 7H-[1,2,4]Triazolo[3,4-b]thiadiazine-based Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Potentiator Directed toward Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis. ACS medicinal chemistry letters	A Rab, X Yang, WF Tracy, JS Hong, D Joshi, C Manfredi, SS Ponnaluri, AA Kolykhalov, M Qui, H Fu, Y Du, HML Davies, EJ Sorscher	10/12/2023
Diruthenium Tetracarboxylate-Catalyzed Enantioselective Cyclopropanation with Aryldiazoacetates. Organometallics	JK Sailer, JC Sharland, J Bacsa, CF Harris, JF Berry, DG Musaev, HML Davies	08/14/2023
One-Pot Synthesis of Difluorobicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes from α-Allyldiazoacetates. Organic letters	JC Sharland, HML Davies	07/21/2023
Stereoselective Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Cyclohexenes via Strong-Acid-Mediated Endocyclic C-C Bond Cleavage of Monocyclopropanated Cyclopentadienes. Organic letters	S Fischer, TH Nguyen, A Ratzenboeck, HML Davies, O Reiser	06/23/2023
N-Phthalimide as a Site-Protecting and Stereodirecting Group in Rhodium-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization with Donor/Acceptor Carbenes. Organic letters	Z Chen, Q Cai, YT Boni, W Liu, J Fu, HML Davies	06/09/2023
Enantioselective Synthesis of Triarylmethanes via Intermolecular C-H Functionalization of Cyclohexadienes with Diaryldiazomethanes. Organic letters	M Lee, HML Davies	06/09/2023
Dirhodium C-H Functionalization of Hole-Transport Materials. The Journal of organic chemistry	F Saeedifard, Y Naeem, YT Boni, YC Chang, J Zhang, Y Zhang, B Kippelen, S Barlow, HML Davies, SR Marder	04/07/2023
Catalyst Controlled Site- and Stereoselective Rhodium(II) Carbene C(sp³)-H Functionalization of Allyl Boronates. Organic letters	YT Boni, J Vaitla, HML Davies	01/13/2023
Unearthing the Subtleties of Rhodium(II)-Catalyzed Carbenoid Cycloadditions to Furans with an N-Sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazole Probe. Organic letters	CJ Bettencourt, T Krainz, S Chow, BT Parr, WF Tracy, PV Bernhardt, HML Davies, CM Williams	12/23/2022
In-situ Kinetic Studies of Rh(II)-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization to Achieve High Catalyst Turnover Numbers. ACS catalysis	B Wei, JC Sharland, DG Blackmond, DG Musaev, HML Davies	11/04/2022
Asymmetric Cyclopropanation with 4-Aryloxy-1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles: Expanding the Range of Rhodium-Stabilized Donor/Acceptor Carbenes to Systems with an Oxygen Donor Group. The Journal of organic chemistry	RW Kubiak, WF Tracy, JS Alford, HML Davies	11/04/2022
Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Extended C4-Symmetric Dirhodium Tetracarboxylate Catalysts. ACS catalysis	ZJ Garlets, YT Boni, JC Sharland, PR Kirby, J Fu, J Bacsa, HML Davies	09/02/2022
Leveraging Regio- and Stereoselective C(sp³)-H Functionalization of Silyl Ethers to Train a Logistic Regression Classification Model for Predicting Site-Selectivity Bias. Journal of the American Chemical Society	YT Boni, RC Cammarota, K Liao, MS Sigman, HML Davies	08/31/2022
Mechanistically Guided Workflow for Relating Complex Reactive Site Topologies to Catalyst Performance in C-H Functionalization Reactions. Journal of the American Chemical Society	RC Cammarota, W Liu, J Bacsa, HML Davies, MS Sigman	02/02/2022
A C-H Functionalization Strategy Enables an Enantioselective Formal Synthesis of (-)-Aflatoxin B₂. Organic letters	NA Falcone, AT Bosse, H Park, JQ Yu, HML Davies, EJ Sorensen	12/17/2021
Asymmetric synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant 1-aryl-2-heteroaryl- and 1,2-diheteroarylcyclopropane-1-carboxylates. Chemical science	JC Sharland, B Wei, DJ Hardee, TR Hodges, W Gong, EA Voight, HML Davies	08/25/2021
Copper(II) Acetate-Induced Oxidation of Hydrazones to Diazo Compounds under Flow Conditions Followed by Dirhodium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Cyclopropanation Reactions. Organic letters	B Wei, TA Hatridge, CW Jones, HML Davies	07/16/2021
Optimized Immobilization Strategy for Dirhodium(II) Carboxylate Catalysts for C-H Functionalization and Their Implementation in a Packed Bed Flow Reactor. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)	TA Hatridge, W Liu, CJ Yoo, HML Davies, CW Jones	10/26/2020
Comparison of 1,2-Diarylcyclopropanecarboxylates with 1,2,2-Triarylcyclopropanecarboxylates as Chiral Ligands for Dirhodium-Catalyzed Cyclopropanation and C-H Functionalization. The Journal of organic chemistry	B Wertz, Z Ren, J Bacsa, DG Musaev, HML Davies	10/02/2020
Rhodium-Stabilized Diarylcarbenes Behaving as Donor/Acceptor Carbenes. ACS catalysis	M Lee, Z Ren, DG Musaev, HML Davies	06/05/2020
Distal Allylic/Benzylic C-H Functionalization of Silyl Ethers Using Donor/Acceptor Rhodium(II) Carbenes. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)	J Vaitla, YT Boni, HML Davies	05/04/2020
Functionalization of Piperidine Derivatives for the Site-Selective and Stereoselective Synthesis of Positional Analogues of Methylphenidate. Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)	W Liu, T Babl, A Röther, O Reiser, HML Davies	04/01/2020
Rhodium-Catalyzed Enantioselective [4+2] Cycloadditions of Vinylcarbenes with Dienes. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)	B Zhang, HML Davies	03/16/2020
Donor-Acceptor-Acceptor 1,3-Bisdiazo Compounds: An Exploration of Synthesis and Stepwise Reactivity. Organic letters	DJ Abrams, HML Davies, EJ Sorensen	03/06/2020
Regio- and Stereoselective Rhodium(II)-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization of Cyclobutanes. Chem	ZJ Garlets, BD Wertz, W Liu, EA Voight, HML Davies	01/09/2020
C-H Functionalization Approach for the Synthesis of Chiral C₂-Symmetric 1,5-Cyclooctadiene Ligands. Organic letters	B Zhang, MR Hollerbach, SB Blakey, HML Davies	12/20/2019
Finding Opportunities from Surprises and Failures. Development of Rhodium-Stabilized Donor/Acceptor Carbenes and Their Application to Catalyst-Controlled C-H Functionalization. The Journal of organic chemistry	HML Davies	10/18/2019
Rh(II)-Catalyzed Monocyclopropanation of Pyrroles and Its Application to the Synthesis Pharmaceutically Relevant Compounds. Organic letters	J Fu, N Wurzer, V Lehner, O Reiser, HML Davies	08/02/2019
Regio- and Stereoselective Rhodium(II)-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization of Organosilanes by Donor/Acceptor Carbenes Derived from Aryldiazoacetates. Organic letters	ZJ Garlets, EF Hicks, J Fu, EA Voight, HML Davies	06/21/2019
Dirhodium tetracarboxylates as catalysts for selective intermolecular C-H functionalization. Nature reviews. Chemistry	HML Davies, K Liao	06/01/2019
Desymmetrization of cyclohexanes by site- and stereoselective C-H functionalization. Nature	J Fu, Z Ren, J Bacsa, DG Musaev, HML Davies	12/01/2018
New directions in natural product synthesis. Chemical Society reviews	HML Davies, K Itami, BM Stoltz	10/29/2018
Design of catalysts for site-selective and enantioselective functionalization of non-activated primary C-H bonds. Nature chemistry	K Liao, YF Yang, Y Li, JN Sanders, KN Houk, DG Musaev, HML Davies	10/01/2018
Catalyst-Controlled Selective Functionalization of Unactivated C-H Bonds in the Presence of Electronically Activated C-H Bonds. Journal of the American Chemical Society	W Liu, Z Ren, AT Bosse, K Liao, EL Goldstein, J Bacsa, DG Musaev, BM Stoltz, HML Davies	09/26/2018
An Immobilized-Dirhodium Hollow-Fiber Flow Reactor for Scalable and Sustainable C-H Functionalization in Continuous Flow. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)	CJ Yoo, D Rackl, W Liu, CB Hoyt, B Pimentel, RP Lively, HML Davies, CW Jones	08/20/2018
Synthesis of [3a,7a]-Dihydroindoles by a Tandem Arene Cyclopropanation/3,5-Sigmatropic Rearrangement Reaction. The Journal of organic chemistry	SM Wilkerson-Hill, BE Haines, DG Musaev, HML Davies	08/03/2018
Rhodium-Catalyzed Intermolecular C-H Functionalization as a Key Step in the Synthesis of Complex Stereodefined β-Arylpyrrolidines. Organic letters	RW Kubiak, HML Davies	07/06/2018
Blue light-promoted photolysis of aryldiazoacetates. Chemical science	ID Jurberg, HML Davies	06/14/2018
Formation of Tertiary Alcohols from the Rhodium-Catalyzed Reactions of Donor/Acceptor Carbenes with Esters. Organic letters	L Fu, K Hoang, C Tortoreto, W Liu, HML Davies	04/20/2018
Harnessing the β-Silicon Effect for Regioselective and Stereoselective Rhodium(II)-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization by Donor/Acceptor Carbenes Derived from 1-Sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles. Organic letters	ZJ Garlets, HML Davies	04/20/2018
Site-selective and stereoselective functionalization of non-activated tertiary C-H bonds. Nature	K Liao, TC Pickel, V Boyarskikh, J Bacsa, DG Musaev, HML Davies	11/30/2017
Rhodium- and Non-Metal-Catalyzed Approaches for the Conversion of Isoxazol-5-ones to 2,3-Dihydro-6H-1,3-oxazin-6-ones. Organic letters	ID Jurberg, HML Davies	10/06/2017
Collective Approach to Advancing C-H Functionalization. ACS central science	HML Davies, D Morton	09/27/2017
Rh(II)-Catalyzed Cyclopropanation of Furans and Its Application to the Total Synthesis of Natural Product Derivatives. Organic letters	V Lehner, HML Davies, O Reiser	09/15/2017
Synthesis of Donor/Acceptor-Substituted Diazo Compounds in Flow and Their Application in Enantioselective Dirhodium-Catalyzed Cyclopropanation and C-H Functionalization. Organic letters	D Rackl, CJ Yoo, CW Jones, HML Davies	06/16/2017
Scope of the Reactions of Indolyl- and Pyrrolyl-Tethered N-Sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles: Rhodium(II)-Catalyzed Synthesis of Indole- and Pyrrole-Fused Polycyclic Compounds. Organic letters	L Fu, HM Davies	04/07/2017
Synthesis of 2,2,2,-Trichloroethyl Aryl- and Vinyldiazoacetates by Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling. Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)	L Fu, JD Mighion, EA Voight, HM Davies	03/08/2017
Metal-Free C-H Functionalization of Alkanes by Aryldiazoacetates. Organic letters	C Tortoreto, D Rackl, HM Davies	02/17/2017
Rapid Construction of a Benzo-Fused Indoxamycin Core Enabled by Site-Selective C-H Functionalizations. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)	TA Bedell, GA Hone, D Valette, JQ Yu, HM Davies, EJ Sorensen	07/11/2016
Enantioselective Intermolecular C-H Functionalization of Allylic and Benzylic sp(3) C-H Bonds Using N-Sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles. Organic letters	RW Kubiak, JD Mighion, SM Wilkerson-Hill, JS Alford, T Yoshidomi, HM Davies	07/01/2016
Site-selective and stereoselective functionalization of unactivated C-H bonds. Nature	K Liao, S Negretti, DG Musaev, J Bacsa, HM Davies	05/12/2016
Rhodium(II)-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization of Electron-Deficient Methyl Groups. Journal of the American Chemical Society	L Fu, DM Guptill, HM Davies	05/11/2016
Recent Advances in C-H Functionalization. The Journal of organic chemistry	HM Davies, D Morton	01/15/2016
Enantioselective Dirhodium(II)-Catalyzed Cyclopropanations with Trimethylsilylethyl and Trichloroethyl Aryldiazoacetates. Tetrahedron	S Negretti, CM Cohen, JJ Chang, DM Guptill, HML Davies	09/30/2015
Using IR vibrations to quantitatively describe and predict site-selectivity in multivariate Rh-catalyzed C-H functionalization. Chemical science	EN Bess, DM Guptill, HML Davies, MS Sigman	05/01/2015
Stereoselective synthesis of highly substituted cyclohexanes by a rhodium-carbene initiated domino sequence. Organic letters	BT Parr, HM Davies	02/20/2015
Concise syntheses of dictyodendrins A and F by a sequential C-H functionalization strategy. Journal of the American Chemical Society	AD Yamaguchi, KM Chepiga, J Yamaguchi, K Itami, HM Davies	01/21/2015
Late-stage C-H functionalization of complex alkaloids and drug molecules via intermolecular rhodium-carbenoid insertion. Nature communications	J He, LG Hamann, HM Davies, RE Beckwith	01/12/2015
2,2,2-Trichloroethyl aryldiazoacetates as robust reagents for the enantioselective C-H functionalization of methyl ethers. Journal of the American Chemical Society	DM Guptill, HM Davies	12/24/2014
Enantioselective synthesis of (-)-maoecrystal V by enantiodetermining C-H functionalization. Journal of the American Chemical Society	P Lu, A Mailyan, Z Gu, DM Guptill, H Wang, HM Davies, A Zakarian	12/24/2014
Reversal of the regiochemistry in the rhodium-catalyzed [4+3] cycloaddition between vinyldiazoacetates and dienes. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)	PE Guzmán, Y Lian, HM Davies	11/24/2014
C-H functionalization: collaborative methods to redefine chemical logic. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)	HM Davies, D Morton	09/22/2014
Synthesis of complex hexacyclic compounds via a tandem Rh(II)-catalyzed double-cyclopropanation/Cope rearrangement/Diels-Alder reaction. Organic letters	JE Spangler, Y Lian, SN Raikar, HM Davies	09/19/2014
T cell antigen discovery using soluble vaccinia proteome reveals recognition of antigens with both virion and nonvirion association. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)	DH Davies, S Chun, G Hermanson, JA Tucker, A Jain, R Nakajima, J Pablo, PL Felgner, X Liang	08/15/2014
Highly stereoselective synthesis of cyclopentanes bearing four stereocentres by a rhodium carbene-initiated domino sequence. Nature communications	BT Parr, HM Davies	08/01/2014
Mild aminoacylation of indoles and pyrroles through a three-component reaction with ynol ethers and sulfonyl azides. Journal of the American Chemical Society	JS Alford, HM Davies	07/23/2014
Role of sterically demanding chiral dirhodium catalysts in site-selective C-H functionalization of activated primary C-H bonds. Journal of the American Chemical Society	C Qin, HM Davies	07/09/2014
Role of ortho-substituents on rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric synthesis of β-lactones by intramolecular C-H insertions of aryldiazoacetates. Organic letters	L Fu, H Wang, HM Davies	06/06/2014
Diversity-oriented synthesis as a tool for identifying new modulators of mitosis. Nature communications	BM Ibbeson, L Laraia, E Alza, CJ O' Connor, YS Tan, HM Davies, G McKenzie, AR Venkitaraman, DR Spring	01/01/2014
Rhodium(II)-catalyzed stereoselective synthesis of allylsilanes. Organic letters	DM Guptill, CM Cohen, HM Davies	12/20/2013
Silica-immobilized chiral dirhodium(II) catalyst for enantioselective carbenoid reactions. Organic letters	KM Chepiga, Y Feng, NA Brunelli, CW Jones, HM Davies	12/20/2013
Silver-catalyzed vinylogous fluorination of vinyl diazoacetates. Organic letters	C Qin, HM Davies	12/20/2013

Awards

The impact of his carbenoid chemistry was recently recognized as he was chosen to be the recipient of the 2013 eEROS Reagent of the Year Award. Other recent awards Dr. Davies has received include the American Chemical Society Cope Scholar Award (2005), Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2007), Fellow of the American Chemical Society (2009), Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2012) and Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (2014).