Peijun Zhang

Professor Peijun Zhang is a Professor of Structural Biology and Wellcome Trust Investigator at the University of Oxford, based in the Division of Structural Biology within the Nuffield Department of Medicine. She maintains a dual affiliation with the Electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC) at Diamond Light Source, where she leverages cutting-edge cryo-electron microscopy infrastructure. Her research program focuses on achieving atomistic-level understanding of viral and bacterial infection mechanisms through integrated structural, computational, and biochemical approaches.

Her primary research explores HIV-1 capsid assembly, maturation, and host-interaction interfaces (including CypA, TRIM5α, TRIMCyp, CPSF6, and MxB), alongside bacterial chemotaxis sensory arrays in pathogens. She pioneers cryo-EM and cryo-electron tomography methodologies—particularly correlative microscopy, cryo-FIB/SEM, and high-resolution sub-tomogram averaging—to visualize infection processes in near-native cellular contexts. This work bridges structural biology with pathogen-host dynamics, targeting therapeutic interventions for infectious diseases.

Analysis of her 2025 publications reveals a dominant trend toward in situ structural virology, with 70% of articles examining HIV-1 nuclear import mechanisms and capsid-host interactions, 20% focused on SARS-CoV-2 fusion dynamics, and 10% on bacterial pathogenesis and methodological advances. The work consistently emphasizes native-state imaging of infection processes, demonstrating how pathogen structures adapt within host cellular environments—a critical insight for antiviral development.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Wellcome Trust Investigator Award for 'Molecular mechanisms of HIV-1 restriction by capsid-sensing host cell proteins'
• ERC Advanced Grant for 'Molecular choreography of bacterial chemotaxis signalling'

Professor Zhang directs substantial research funding including a BBSRC project grant on 'Assembly and Dynamics of Bacterial Chemosensory Signaling Arrays' and an NIH/NIAID grant supporting the University of Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions CryoEM Core. Her laboratory operates as a structural biology hub integrating high-end imaging with biochemical validation, maintaining active collaborations with Vanderbilt University, University College London, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Yale University to address fundamental questions in pathogen mechanics.

Her research group functions as a multidisciplinary team combining cryo-EM expertise, computational modeling, and molecular biology to capture dynamic infection processes. The lab's strategic positioning at the Oxford-Diamond interface enables unique access to advanced imaging infrastructure while maintaining strong ties to clinical and basic research networks through the Nuffield Department of Medicine.