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Yongli Zhang is a Professor at the Yale School of Medicine in the Department of Cell Biology, specializing in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. He received his bachelor's degree in applied physics and master's degree in theoretical physics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He completed his PhD in 2003 at Yale University, where his dissertation focused on sequence-dependent DNA bending flexibility. After his tenure as a postdoctoral fellow in Carlos Bustamante's lab at UC Berkeley, he became interested in measuring intra- and inter-molecular forces generated by molecular machines. Prof. Zhang employs high-resolution optical tweezers combined with single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to understand the mechanical properties of proteins and the underlying mechanisms of fundamental biological processes, particularly in relation to human diseases. His research interests encompass the mechanics of protein folding dynamics, SNARE protein assembly and disassembly, and membrane fusion. He seeks to elucidate the roles of various proteins in exocytosis and how their malfunctions can lead to diseases. Additionally, he is developing new single-molecule methods and instruments for investigating biomolecular interactions and dynamics.
Yale School of Medicine • New Haven, CT
Chair of research group focusing on molecular biophysics and biochemistry.
University of California, Berkeley • Berkeley, CA
Conducted research in optical tweezers and chromatin remodeling.
Administered via the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). GRE General is optional for PhD.