معرفی
Wenjun Zheng is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University at Buffalo (College of Arts and Sciences). His research focuses on computational biophysics and structural biology, specifically investigating biomolecular functions via multi-scale modeling of molecular dynamics. He employs coarse-grained and atomistic models to study biomolecular 'nanomachines' like motor proteins, ion channels, and ryanodine receptors. His work integrates experimental data with computational models to predict molecular behaviors and guide future experiments.
Education:
- BS in Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, China (1995)
- MS in Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (1998)
- PhD in Physics, Stanford University (2003)
Research Interests: Zheng’s long-term goal is to computationally decrypt biomolecular dynamics, particularly in systems like TRPV1, NMDA receptors, and myosin. His methodologies include molecular dynamics simulations, elastic network models, and flexible fitting of experimental data (e.g., cryo-EM, SAXS). He emphasizes multi-scale approaches to balance accuracy and computational efficiency.
Publications: Over 100 peer-reviewed articles span topics like ion channel gating, helicase mechanisms, and protein conformational transitions. Recent work explores allosteric modulation of NMDA receptors and cryptic ligand-binding sites prediction using machine learning.
Awards:
- NSF CAREER Award (2010)
Advising/Grants: Active in mentoring graduate students and securing funding for computational biophysics projects. Collaborates with experimentalists to validate and refine models.
Labs/Teams: Leads a lab focused on computational structural biology, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to biomolecular systems.
