# Shunsuke Chiba
**Shunsuke Chiba** (千葉俊介; born 1978) is a Japanese organic chemist who is Professor of Chemistry at [Nanyang Technological University](https://www.edgepedia.org/nanyang-technological-university) (NTU) in Singapore and Chair of its School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and [Biotechnology](https://www.edgepedia.org/biotechnology) (CCEB), and became Acting Dean of the College of Science.[1](https://shunsuke62.wixsite.com/schiba-ntu/curriculum-vitae) • [2](https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Chiba-Shunsuke) • [3](https://www.ntu.edu.sg/cceb/about-us/faculty-and-staff/faculty) His research develops practical synthetic methods in organic free-radical chemistry, annulation reactions, and visible-light photoredox catalysis (catalysis driven by light-activated electron-transfer reactions), including the use of inexpensive polysulfide anions as photocatalysts for aryl cross-couplings.[2](https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Chiba-Shunsuke) • [4](https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.0c11968)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Field | Organic synthesis: radical chemistry, annulation, photoredox catalysis[2](https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Chiba-Shunsuke) |
| Current post | Professor, Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, NTU, since September 2016; Chair of CCEB from October 2023[1](https://shunsuke62.wixsite.com/schiba-ntu/curriculum-vitae) • [2](https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Chiba-Shunsuke) |
| Training | Waseda University (2001); M.Sc. (2003) and Ph.D. (2006) at the University of Tokyo under Koichi Narasaka[5](https://festa.csj.jp/2021/festa_free/pdf/oral/A2-10.pdf) |
| Signature work | Polysulfide anion photoredox catalysis for aryl cross-couplings, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 481–487[4](https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.0c11968) |
| Notable methods | Mn(III)-mediated [3+3]-annulation of vinyl azides and cyclopropanols (2011); copper-mediated oxidative transformation of N-allyl enamine carboxylates (2014)[6](http://www.cochemist.com/author_A093809995.html) |
| Awards | Mukaiyama Award; Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award; GSK-SNIC Award in Organic Chemistry; CSJ Award for Young Chemists; Fellow of the RSC and SNIC[2](https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Chiba-Shunsuke) |
| Photocatalyst cost | Potassium polysulfide (K2Sx), about US$0.12/g[5](https://festa.csj.jp/2021/festa_free/pdf/oral/A2-10.pdf) |
## Education and career
He held a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Research Fellowship from April 2004 to April 2005, then served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the [University of Tokyo](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-tokyo)'s Graduate School of Science from May 2005 to March 2007.[1](https://shunsuke62.wixsite.com/schiba-ntu/curriculum-vitae)
In April 2007 he began his independent career at NTU as Assistant Professor in the Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry.[5](https://festa.csj.jp/2021/festa_free/pdf/oral/A2-10.pdf) • [1](https://shunsuke62.wixsite.com/schiba-ntu/curriculum-vitae) He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in March 2012 and to Professor in September 2016.[1](https://shunsuke62.wixsite.com/schiba-ntu/curriculum-vitae)
## Leadership and research group at NTU
Since founding his laboratory in 2007, Chiba has developed transformations of alkenyl azides, copper-catalyzed oxidative transformations, reactions using main-group metal hydrides, and visible-light redox catalysis, with extensions into natural product synthesis and chemical biology.[7](https://www.chem-station.com/chemist-db/2024/04/shunsuke-chiba.html) His stated research interests are synthetic chemistry, catalysis, organic free radicals, and synthetic photochemistry, directed at general and practical molecular transformations.[8](https://www.cares.cam.ac.uk/personal-profiles/?profile_id=519) • [3](https://www.ntu.edu.sg/cceb/about-us/faculty-and-staff/faculty)
His administrative path at NTU ran through the division that became CCEB: Head of CBC in 2012–2016 and 2021–2022, Acting co-Chair of CCEB on its foundation in April 2022, sole Acting Chair in April 2023, and appointed Chair of CCEB in October 2023.[2](https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Chiba-Shunsuke)
## Representative work
Polysulfide anions as visible light photoredox catalysts for aryl cross-couplings (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 481–487) showed that photoexcited tetrasulfide dianions (S4²⁻) can singly reduce aryl halides with reduction potentials as low as −2.4 V (vs SCE), generating aryl radicals that undergo (hetero)biaryl cross-coupling, borylation, and hydrogenation in a redox regime involving the S4•−/S4²⁻ and S3•−/S3²⁻ couples.[4](https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.0c11968) • [5](https://festa.csj.jp/2021/festa_free/pdf/oral/A2-10.pdf) The ground-state potentials of those couples in DMF are −1.35 V for S3•−/S3²⁻ and −0.85 V for S4•−/S4²⁻ vs SCE.[5](https://festa.csj.jp/2021/festa_free/pdf/oral/A2-10.pdf)
His 2011 JACS paper (133, 6411–6421) developed the Mn(III)-mediated formal [3+3]-annulation of vinyl azides and cyclopropanols.
The 2014 JACS paper (136, 6011–6020) on copper-mediated oxidative transformation of N-allyl enamine carboxylates provided a route to 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hex-2-enes by intramolecular cyclopropanation under two complementary conditions, CuBr-mediated aerobic and CuBr2-catalyzed with PhIO2 as oxidant, with oxidative ring-opening giving highly substituted pyridines.[6](http://www.cochemist.com/author_A093809995.html)
## Polysulfide photoredox catalysis compared with conventional photocatalysis
The polysulfide system replaces the ruthenium and iridium complexes typical of photoredox catalysis with potassium polysulfide (K2Sx), which costs about US$0.12/g. In degassed DMSO its ultraviolet-visible spectrum shows S3•− absorption at 620 nm, S4²⁻ at 440 nm and 330 nm, and S3²⁻ at 270 nm, so the catalyst absorbs visible light.[5](https://festa.csj.jp/2021/festa_free/pdf/oral/A2-10.pdf) Its distinguishing capability is strongly reducing photoexcited S4²⁻, which reduces aryl halides down to −2.4 V vs SCE.[5](https://festa.csj.jp/2021/festa_free/pdf/oral/A2-10.pdf)
## Recent developments
In October 2023 Chiba was appointed Chair of CCEB.[2](https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Chiba-Shunsuke) His group extended polysulfide photocatalysis in a 2023 [Angewandte Chemie](https://www.edgepedia.org/angewandte-chemie) paper on dearomatization of (hetero)arenes through photodriven interplay between polysulfide anions and formate (62, e202309764),[8](https://www.cares.cam.ac.uk/personal-profiles/?profile_id=519) and in 2024 reported dearomative dimerization of quinolines with skeletal rearrangement to indoles triggered by single-electron transfer.[9](https://shunsuke62.wixsite.com/schiba-ntu/2021-present) In 2025 the group published reductive desulfonylation of sulfonamides under polysulfide anions photocatalysis (Org. Lett. 27, 4026–4031) and 1,4-reduction of α,β-unsaturated ketones catalyzed by tetraarylhydrophosphoranes (Org. Lett. 27, 8787–8792).[9](https://shunsuke62.wixsite.com/schiba-ntu/2021-present) A Singapore Ministry of Education project frames the scale of the ambition: work packages cover photo-[Birch reduction](https://www.edgepedia.org/birch-reduction) of (hetero)arenes, alkene functionalization, reductive desulfonylation, late-stage functionalization of biologically active molecules, and reactor design aimed at kg/day manufacturing.[10](http://www.researchgrant.gov.sg/pages/Awarded-Project-Detail.aspx?AXID=MOE-000584&CompanyCode=moe)
## Honors and professional roles
Chiba's awards include the Mukaiyama Award, which recognized his exploration of new reactivity of main-group metal hydrides for unique molecular transformations, the Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award, the GSK-SNIC Award in Organic Chemistry, and the Chemical Society of Japan Award for Young Chemists.[2](https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Chiba-Shunsuke) • [11](https://www.ntu.edu.sg/spms/news-events/news/detail/professor-shunsuke-chiba-wins-mukaiyama-award) He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and of the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry.[2](https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Chiba-Shunsuke)
## References
1. [Curriculum Vitae | Chiba Research Group](https://shunsuke62.wixsite.com/schiba-ntu/curriculum-vitae)
2. [Prof Chiba Shunsuke | Academic Profile | DR-NTU](https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Chiba-Shunsuke)
3. [Faculty | School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB) | NTU Singapore](https://www.ntu.edu.sg/cceb/about-us/faculty-and-staff/faculty)
4. [Polysulfide Anions as Visible Light Photoredox Catalysts for Aryl Cross-Couplings (JACS)](https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.0c11968)
5. [A2-10 (Festa 2021 abstract, Chemical Society of Japan)](https://festa.csj.jp/2021/festa_free/pdf/oral/A2-10.pdf)
6. [Shunsuke Chiba - Cochemist](http://www.cochemist.com/author_A093809995.html)
7. [千葉 俊介 Shunsuke Chiba | Chem-Station (ケムステ)](https://www.chem-station.com/chemist-db/2024/04/shunsuke-chiba.html)
8. [Prof Shunsuke CHIBA - Cambridge CARES](https://www.cares.cam.ac.uk/personal-profiles/?profile_id=519)
9. [2021 - present | Chiba Research Group](https://shunsuke62.wixsite.com/schiba-ntu/2021-present)
10. [Awarded Project Details (Singapore MOE grant)](http://www.researchgrant.gov.sg/pages/Awarded-Project-Detail.aspx?AXID=MOE-000584&CompanyCode=moe)
11. [Professor Shunsuke Chiba wins the Mukaiyama Award](https://www.ntu.edu.sg/spms/news-events/news/detail/professor-shunsuke-chiba-wins-mukaiyama-award)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Physical world and mathematics › Physical and mathematical scientists › Chemists › Researchers in organic synthesis, organometallic, and medicinal chemistry › Physical organic and radical chemistry*
*Initially written Sep 21, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 25, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 25, 2026*
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