Peng Zhang

Peng Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosciences at the School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms governing synaptic specificity and diversity, particularly the role of glycans in synaptic development. He employs advanced imaging techniques like sub-diffraction fluorescence microscopy and serial block-face electron microscopy to study synapse architecture at the nanoscale.

Dr. Zhang holds a PhD in Neuroscience from SUNY Upstate Medical University (2011) and completed postdoctoral training at the University of British Columbia. His work integrates glycobiology, molecular biology, and electrophysiology to explore how glycosylation modifies synaptic organizing proteins like neurexin, impacting neuropsychiatric disorders.

Recent research highlights include discoveries on heparan sulfate's role in synaptic organization and the interplay between alternative splicing and synaptic proteins. His lab actively recruits students and postdocs interested in synapse biology and glycobiology.

Awards include the 2019 Necia Laura May Elvin Memorial Prize in Schizophrenia Research and the 2018 SFARI Bridge to Independence Award. His publications span synaptic glycan signaling, receptor interactions, and basement membrane dynamics in muscular dystrophies.