Mingxu Fang

Mingxu Fang is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology at The Ohio State University's Department of Microbiology, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on microbial physiology and circadian biology, particularly in cyanobacteria like Synechococcus elongatus. He holds a B.S. from Zhejiang University (2012), a Ph.D. from Indiana University (2018), and completed postdoctoral training at UC San Diego (2018-2024).

• Education:
• Postdoc, University of California, San Diego (2018-2024)
• Ph.D., Indiana University, Bloomington (2018)
• B.S., Zhejiang University (2012)

His lab investigates how environmental cycles drive microbial physiology through circadian clocks, focusing on the KaiABC protein oscillator in cyanobacteria. They employ genetic, biochemical, and structural methods to study clock mechanisms and recently expanded to explore hourglass timing systems in Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Key research themes include in vitro clock reconstitution, real-time gene expression tracking, and UV stress tolerance mechanisms.

Publications highlight breakthroughs in circadian clock mechanics, including synchronization dynamics and protein interactions. His 2018 work on stringent factor regulation was F1000-recommended. Current research bridges top-down organismal studies and bottom-up biochemical dissection of timing mechanisms.

Lab activities emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, combining molecular genetics with high-throughput biochemical assays. Future directions include exploring ecological roles of bacterial timing systems and translational applications of circadian biology insights.