Wenjun Xie

Wenjun Xie is an Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Florida's College of Pharmacy. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry and Statistics and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Peking University. His postdoctoral training included work at MIT and the University of Southern California under Nobel Laureate Dr. Arieh Warshel. His research focuses on enzymology, enzyme engineering, computational chemistry, AI-driven drug discovery, gene editing, and natural product biosynthesis. Xie's work integrates experimental and computational approaches to advance biocatalyst design and pharmaceutical innovation.

Education

• Peking University – B.S. in Chemistry and Statistics (2012, 2017)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry (2020)
• Postdoctoral Associate at MIT (2017–2020) and University of Southern California (2020–2023)

Research Interests: Dr. Xie’s lab explores enzyme catalysis mechanisms, computational modeling of biological systems, and AI-driven solutions for drug discovery. Key projects include engineering haloalkane dehalogenases, optimizing luciferase proteins for bioluminescence, and studying chromatin dynamics using deep learning. His work bridges fundamental biochemistry with translational applications in medicine and materials science.

Publications: Recent work highlights AI-driven enzyme design, supramolecular assemblies in antiviral systems, and computational studies of ion channels. His articles reflect a focus on interdisciplinary approaches to solve complex biological problems.

Grants and Collaborations: Active collaborations with institutions like USC and MIT, leveraging Nobel laureate expertise in computational chemistry. Research is funded through grants focused on AI in drug discovery and enzyme engineering.