Group Research on Journal Covers:
Research Interests
Our research focuses on developing novel single-molecule methods to characterize and understand the properties of nanoscale materials and biological systems. Compared with traditional ensemble measurements, the single molecule approach removes ensemble averaging, so that distributions and fluctuations of molecular properties can be characterized and transient intermediates identified. Our research program provides students with scientific training spanning from sophisticated spectroscopic techniques, rigorous data analyses to protein engineering using modern molecular biology techniques, as well as nanotechnology and nanomaterials. Currently our research has two main directions:
(1) Single-molecule nanocatalysis.
This research direction in our group is to develop and apply single-molecule methods to study the catalytic properties of nanoscale materials. These materials possess novel or superior catalytic properties compared with their bulk counterparts . Understanding their catalytic properties is important, but hampered by their structural inhomogeneity for ensemble measurements. We are developing novel single-molecule methods to interrogate nanoscale catalysts to understand their structure-function relationships. Currently, we are working on:
(2) Single-molecule bioinorganic chemistry.
Here we develop and apply single-molecule methods to understand how metalloproteins function both in vitro and and in vivo. Our current efforts are focused on the protein machineries involved in metal homeostasis in cells:
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Spatial and temporal dynamics of metal homeostatic machineries in a
living cell.
- Here we use single-molecule, super-resolution imaging to understand how a living cell use complex protein machineries to sense, transport, and defend against metal ions.
- Structure and function of metal homeostatic proteins