Research in Dr. Yanxin Liu’s lab focuses on the molecular and structural understanding of protein complexes that are related to human diseases. We employ an integrative approach that combines biophysics, biochemistry, structural biology, and computational modeling. In particular, we are specialized in emerging technologies of high-resolution single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, cryo-electron tomography, and large-scale atomistic molecular dynamics simulation.
We are currently recruiting undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral research associates. Please contact Dr. Liu for more details.
Lab News
25/3 Our group has been awarded a full computer time allocation of 9.1 machine-days on Anton3 at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. Designed and built by D. E. Shaw Research (DESRES), Anton3 is a specialized supercomputer for biomolecular simulations. As the first and only resource available to the community capable of simulating multiple millions of atoms at microsecond-per-day speeds, it enables the exploration of biologically relevant timescales with unprecedented efficiency. Happy computing!
25/2 A collaborative paper lead by our colleague Dr. Jinwoo Lee in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has been accepted for publication in Chemistry – A European Journal. Liqun from our lab is a contributing author. Congratulations, Liqun!
24/11 Holly, a graduate student in the lab, has received the Sampugna-Keeney Travel Award from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. This award will support her travel to the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) annual meeting in Chicago, IL, in April 2025, where she will present our computational work on the dissociation kinetics of Hsp90 inhibitors. Congratulations, Holly!
24/10 Paween is transitioning to industry after working in the lab as an Assistant Research Scientist for one and a half years. He will be joining the startup company Insilica as a Scientist. Congratulations, Paween!
24/9 Angela, an intern from Montgomery Blair High School, is starting her freshman year at MIT after spending over a year in our lab. Best of luck, Angela!
24/8 Kathleen’s work on the NMR spectroscopy of Sorcin has been published in Biomolecular NMR Assignments. Kelly and Nico are also contributing authors. Congratulations, Kathleen and co-authors!
24/3 Holly joined our group as a graduate student in the Biochemistry PhD program. Before coming to UMD, she double-majored in Biochemistry and Mathematics at Arizona State University. Her research will focus on computational modeling of Hsp90 conformational dynamics. Welcome, Holly!
24/1 Angela, an intern from Montgomery Blair High School, has been named a top 300 scholar in the 83rd Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS)—the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors. She conducted her award-winning project on calcium-binding proteins in the lab during the summer of 2023. Congratulations, Angela!
23/10 Kathleen joined our group as a postdoctoral researcher. Originally from the Philippines, she earned her PhD in chemistry from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and the Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica. She brings expertise in NMR and will focus on deubiquitinating enzymes in the lab and their interactions with Hsp90. Welcome, Kathleen!
23/3 Paween joined our group as an Assistant Research Scientist. Originally from Thailand, he earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he worked with Dr. Emad Tajkhorshid. Before coming to UMD, he was a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jana Shen’s lab at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a Research Fellow at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A guru in molecular dynamics simulations, he will focus on the dissociation kinetics of Hsp90 inhibitors. Welcome, Paween!
23/2 Liqun joined our group as a postdoctoral researcher. Originally from China, she earned her B.S. in Environmental Chemistry from Jilin University and her Ph.D. in Environmental Microbiology from Shandong University. She brings expertise in microbiology and will focus on chaperone systems in cyanobacteria. Welcome, Liqun!
22/12 Ibrahim joined our group as a graduate student in the Biochemistry PhD program. Before coming to UMD, he earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Nigeria. His research will focus on how co-chaperones regulate Hsp90’s conformational dynamics and ATPase cycle. Welcome, Ibrahim!
22/2 Nico started in the group as a Research Technician and Lab Manager. Originally from France, he earned his Lab Assistant Certificate from City College of San Francisco. Before coming to UMD, he worked with Yanxin as a research intern at the University of California, San Francisco. As a founding member of the group, he will play a key role in setting up the lab. Welcome, Nico!
22/1 The Liu Lab is officially launched!