Jiqiang Ling

Jiqiang (Lanny) Ling is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, affiliated with the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences and the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics. He holds a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University (2008). His research focuses on understanding the molecular basis of protein synthesis defects and their roles in bacterial-host interactions, antibiotic resistance, and human diseases such as neurodegeneration.

Ling's laboratory employs biochemical, genetic, and omics approaches to study translational fidelity, phenotypic heterogeneity in bacterial populations, and disease mechanisms linked to aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and ribosomal proteins. Key projects include investigating how translational errors affect bacterial pathogenicity, antibiotic tolerance, and stress responses, as well as exploring the impact of translational defects in eukaryotic models for human diseases.

He teaches courses on Microbial Physiology and Gene Expression, and his work has been supported by grants from the NIH (e.g., R21 AI142396, R01 AI139492) and other funding bodies. His lab is located in the Microbiology Building, where they conduct cutting-edge research on translational biology and host-pathogen interactions.

Recent publications highlight his contributions to understanding stop-codon readthrough regulation, streptomycin resistance mechanisms, and the role of translational fidelity in Salmonella pathogenesis. Collaborative efforts include the development of the AARS Online database for aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and innovative methods for bacterial burden quantification (BBQ).