Professor
College of Plant Protection
Northwest A&F University
Room 919, Agricultural Science Building
3 Taicheng Road, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
Email: gongxu@nwafu.edu.cn
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4305-4370

Biography
Prof. Dr. Gong Xu (born 1984) is a doctoral supervisor at Northwest A&F University. His research focuses on the total synthesis of natural products and the development of green agrochemicals. He has led several key research projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Youth Program and General Program), the Shaanxi Key Research and Development Program, and a project under the National Key R&D Program of the 14th Five-Year Plan. His work has led to significant breakthroughs in natural product synthesis and novel pesticide discovery, with findings published in top-tier international journals such as J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Org. Lett., J. Agric. Food Chem., Pest Manag. Sci., J. Nat. Prod., and J. Org. Chem.

Education & Professional Positions

·         2018.03 – present
Professor, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University

·         2015.11 – 2017.10
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley

·         2011.01 – 2015.06
Ph.D. in Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Switzerland

·         2007.09 – 2010.07
M.S. in Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University

·         2003.09 – 2007.06
B.S. in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University

Teaching
He teaches undergraduate courses including Instrumental Analysis and Professional English, and graduate courses such as Strategies and Advances in Pesticide R&D and Principles and Methods of Modern Pesticide Molecular Design.

Research Areas

1.      Total synthesis and structural modification of natural products

2.      Design, synthesis, and application of green pesticide molecules

3.      Target identification and mechanism of action of agrochemicals

Research Projects

·         Project of the National Key R&D Program of China (2023YFD1700705), 2023.12–2027.12

·         National Natural Science Foundation of China General Program (22377099), 2024.01–2027.12

·         Shaanxi Key Research and Development Program (2021NY-140), 2021.01–2022.12

·         National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Program (21801207), 2019.01–2021.12

·         Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Mobility Postdoctoral Fellowship (P2BEP2_162076), 2015–2017

Selected Publication

1. Gong Xu, Philippe Renaud,* Intramolecular Cyclopropanation of 1,4-Dienes through Hydroboration–Homologation: Easy Access to Bicyclo[3.1.0]hexanes, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55 (11), 3657–3661.

2. Chi P. Ting,^# Gong Xu,^# Xianhuang Zeng, Thomas J. Maimone,* Annulative Methods Enable a Total Synthesis of the Complex Meroterpene Berkeleyone A, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138 (45), 14868–14871. (Highlighted by Erick M. Carreira, Johannes Boshkow, Synfacts, 2017, 13(2), 125)

3. Gong Xu, Masha Elkin, Dean J. Tantillo, Timothy R. Newhouse,* Thomas J. Maimone,* Traversing Biosynthetic Carbocation Landscapes in the Total Synthesis of Andrastin and Terretonin Meroterpenes, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56 (41), 12498–12502.

4. Xinyue Chen,^# Danyang Zhang,^# Dan Xu, Huan Zhou, Gong Xu,* Remote C–H Activation Strategy Enables Total Syntheses of Nortriterpenoids (±)-Walsucochin B and (±)-Walsucochinoids M and N, Org. Lett. 2020, 22 (17), 6993–6997. (Highlighted by Erick M. Carreira, Viktoria C. Gerken, Synfacts, 2020, 16 (11), 1261)

5. Wei Wang,^# Shan Zhang,^# Jianhua Wang, Furan Wu, Tao Wang,* Gong Xu,* Bioactivity-Guided Synthesis Accelerates the Discovery of 3‑(Iso)quinolinyl-4-chromenones as Potent Fungicide Candidates, J. Agric. Food Chem. 2021, 69 (1), 491−500.

6. Wei Wang, Jianhua Wang, Furan Wu, Huan Zhou, Dan Xu,* Gong Xu,* Synthesis and Biological Activity of Novel Pyrazol-5-yl-benzamide Derivatives as Potential Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors, J. Agric. Food Chem. 2021, 69 (20), 5746−5754.

7. Hong-Wei He, Fei-Yu Wang, Danyang Zhang, Cai-Yun Chen, Dan Xu, Huan Zhou,* Xili Liu, Gong Xu,* Discovery of Novel α-Methylene-γ-Butyrolactone Derivatives Containing Vanillin Moieties as Antiviral and Antifungal Agents, J. Agric. Food Chem. 2022, 70 (33), 10316–10325.

8. Yantao Li, Han Yang, Yidan Ma, Yuan Cao, Dan Xu*, Xili Liu, Gong Xu*, Discovery of Novel Pyrazol-5-yl-benzamide Derivatives Containing a Thiocyanato Group as Broad-Spectrum Fungicidal Candidates, J. Agric. Food Chem. 2023, 71 (46), 17700–17712.

9. Wen-Bo Han,^+,* Yi-Jie Zhai,⁺ Rong Zhang, Xu-Shun Gong, Jia-Qian Li, Gong Xu,* Xinxiang Lei, Liangcheng Du, Jin-Ming Gao,* Tricrilactones A–H, Potent Antiosteoporosis Macrolides with Distinctive Ring Skeletons from Trichocladium crispatum, an Alpine Moss-Associated Fungus, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62,  e2023007.

10. Yuan Chi, Hong-Wei He, Cai-Yun Chen, Si-Ying Zhao, Huan Zhou, Dan Xu, Xili Liu, Gong Xu,* Furofuran Lignans for Plant Protection: Discovery of Sesamolin and Its Derivatives as Novel Anti-Tobacco Mosaic Virus and Antibacterial Agents, J. Agric. Food Chem. 2023, 71 (28), 10798–10808.

11. Yantao Li, Yuxin Mu, Yuan Cao, Dan Xu, Xili Liu, Gong Xu,* Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel 1-Methyl-1H-pyrazol-5-amine Derivatives with Disulfide Moieties as Potential Antimicrobial Agents, J. Agric. Food Chem. 2024, 72 (37), 20658−20669.

12. Xu-Shun Gong, Jia-Qi Wu, Ming-Hui Yin, Si-Zhe Li, Dan Xu, Xili Liu, Gong Xu,* Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Luteoride A Derivatives against Phytopathogenic Fungi and Bacteria, Pest. Manag. Sci. 2025, 81 (10), 6718−6729.

Positions

We welcome highly motivated students interested in synthetic organic chemistry and pesticide chemistry to join our research group for Master’s or Ph.D. programs. Postdoctoral researchers are also encouraged to apply. Please contact Prof. Gong Xu via email.

 

Updated on January, 2026