Yang Hai

Dr. Yang Hai is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), affiliated with the College of Letters and Science. His research focuses on enzyme discovery, biocatalysis, and structural biochemistry to advance synthetic biology and biomanufacturing. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Peking University (2011) and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania (2016), followed by postdoctoral training at UCLA. His lab integrates chemical and biological approaches to uncover novel enzyme functions and design biosynthetic pathways for pharmaceuticals and biomaterials. Key areas include PLP-dependent enzymes, noncanonical terpenes, and fungal natural products.

Dr. Hai’s work has led to significant grants, including an NIH ESI R35 award for PLP-dependent enzyme studies and an ACS GCI Ignition Grant. His team collaborates with materials scientists and engineers to develop biocatalytic methods. Notable achievements include enzymatic synthesis of α,β-diamino acids and structural elucidation of Fub7. The lab emphasizes diversity and interdisciplinary training, offering opportunities in protein crystallography, microbiology, and synthetic biology.

• Education:
  • B.S., Chemistry, Peking University (2011)
  • Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania (2011–2016)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, UCLA (2016–2020)
• Research Themes:
  • Bio-inspired enzyme engineering
  • Biocatalytic pathway design
  • PLP-dependent enzyme mechanisms
  • Fungal natural product discovery
• Awards & Grants:
  • NIH ESI R35 (2023)
  • ACS GCI Ignition Grant (2024)
  • UCSB Senate Faculty Research Grant (2023)
• Labs & Collaborations:
  • Hai Lab at UCSB
  • Partnerships with materials science and engineering groups