About Christian
🇵ðŸ‡
Christian A. Malapit, Ph. D.
Principal Investigator
christian.malapit@northwestern.edu
Office: Tech G147 | Phone: 847-467-2629
​Current Affiliations and Academic Appointments
​Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2022–present
Member, Center for Catalysis and Surface Science (CCSS), 2023–present
Faculty Affiliate, Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy, 2023–present
Faculty Affiliate, International Institute of Nanotechnology (IIN), 2024–present
Preceptor, NIH T32 Chemistry of Life Processes, Northwestern, 2022–present
​
Education and Training
​K99/R00 NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Utah
Advisors: Shelley D. Minteer & Matthew S. Sigman
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan
Advisor: Melanie S. Sanford
Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Connecticut
Advisor: Amy R. Howell
M.S. Chemistry, Ateneo de Manila University
B.S. Chemistry, magna cum laude, Far Eastern University
Christian (he/him/his) is a Filipino chemist. He was born and raised in the northernmost region in the Philippines, Ilocos Norte. He moved to Manila and obtained his BS and MS in Chemistry from Far Eastern University and Ateneo de Manila University. In 2016, Christian received his PhD in organic chemistry under the mentorship of Prof. Amy Howell at the University of Connecticut. There he developed various transition metal catalyzed reactions for the selective transformations of heterocyclic compounds. His PhD work was recognized with a Connecticut Chemistry Research Award and by the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry. As a Boehringer Ingelheim PhD fellow, Christian conducted a year of research at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals in CT where he worked on method development for Alzheimer's disease. Christian moved to the University of Michigan to conduct mechanistic organometallic chemistry for reaction discovery with Prof. Melanie Sanford. Recently, Christian became an NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Investigator and Postdoctoral scholar at the NSF Center for Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry at the University of Utah where he worked on electrocatalysis for organic synthesis.
In 2022, Christian started his tenure-track appointment as an assistant professor of chemistry at Northwestern University where his group works on the utility of organic synthesis, transition-metal catalysis, and molecular electrochemistry towards the discovery of sustainable organic reactions and the development of next-generation organic-based redox-flow batteries.
Awards, Service, and Recognition
ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Academic Young Investigator, 2026
Thieme Chemistry Journal Award, 2026
Rising Star Award, Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE), 2025
Elected Full Member, Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE), 2025
Science Breakthrough of the Year (Shortlisted), Falling Walls Foundation, Berlin, Germany, 2025
Searle Fellow, Northwestern University, 2025
Advisory Board (early career), Science of Synthesis, Thieme Chemistry, 2025–present
Executive Committee member-at-large, Organic and Biological Electrochemistry, Electrochemical Society (ECS), 2024
Baker Faculty Mentor, 2023 and 2024
NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Investigator Award, 2021-2025
Boehringer Ingelheim PhD Fellowship, 2013–2016
Connecticut Chemistry Research Award, UConn 2016
Randolph T. Major Outstanding Research Award, UConn 2014
William Masterton Excellence in Teaching Award, UConn 2012
National Award for Most Outstanding Master’s Thesis in Chemistry, Philippines 2009
​
INVITED Lectures and Presentations
Upcoming:
11/10/2026 Rising Stars in organic Synthesis, Thieme virtual [Link]
11/15-16/2026 International Symposium on Electrochemical Organic Synthesis (SEOS 2), Seoul, Korea
01/21/2026 UCLA Houk-Jung Organic Colloquium seminar, UCLA Chemistry Department
​01/28/2026 Harvard University, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
03/12/2026 University of Texas at Austin, Department of Chemistry
​
2026
ACS Academic Young Investigator Award, ACS Fall, Chicago
Gordon Research Conference: Organic Reactions and Processes, Stonehill College, MA
Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN
Student-invited lecture, University of Minnesota, Department of Chemistry
FloHet 2026: Florida Heterocycles, University of Florida
Michigan State University, Department of Chemistry
​
2025
New Strategies in C-H Functionalization for Bioactive Molecule Synthesis Symposium, Pacifichem 2025, Honolulu, HI
Electroactive Molecules for Energy Storage Symposium, Pacifichem 2025, Honolulu, HI
Pride in Pacifi(Chem), Pacifichem 2025, Honolulu, HI
Oesper Award Program and Symposium, ACS Cincinnati Section, University of Cincinnati, OH; Oct 2025
Advances in Organic and Biological Electrochemistry, Electrochemical Society (ECS), Chicago, IL; Oct 2025
Rising Star Award Lecture, Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering, University of South Carolina; July 2025
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2022 to 2024
Radical Advancement for Bond Formation, ACS National Meeting, Denver, CO; Aug 2024
AbbVie Seminar, AbbVie Pharmaceuticals, Illinois, Feb 2024
3rd WIPOS Winter In-person Organic Symposium, Honolulu, HI; Dec 2023
16th EurAsia Europe-Asian Conference in Chemical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand; Dec 2023
Electrochemistry Symposia, ACS Midwest and Great Lakes Regional Meeting, St. Louis, MO; Oct 2023
19th Asian Chemistry Conference, Istanbul, Turkey; July 2023
43rd PAASE Meeting; Philippine-American Academy of Science & Technology, Orlando, FL; June 2023
Catalysis Seminar, Center for Catalysis and Surface Science, Northwestern University, December 9, 2022
James Bobbitt Memorial Symposium, 2022 ACS Northeast Regional Meeting (NERM 2022), Oct 2022, Rochester, NY
28th Congress of the International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry; Santa Barbara, CA; August 2022​