Jian Huang

Jian Huang

PhD candiate, Computational Biophysics

Jian passed ORP exam and is now a Ph.D candidate!

less than 1 minute read

Original research proposal (ORP) is an exam designed to test the ability of graduate students to identify significant scientific questions, to develop research proposals based on rationized and reasonable hypotheses, and more importantly to successfully defend the proposal.

In my proposal, I want to make novel photoenzymes for unnatural transformation. Creating novel enzymes for unnatural transformations is extremely beneficial for industry production of fine organic compound. Creating novel photoenyzmes (the regime of Photo-biocatalysis) can potential combine the advantages of biocatalysis such as efficiency, stereoseletivity and sustainability, and photocatalysis for the highly reactive species and mechanistic versatility.
I propose to use cofactor substitution to replace the natural cofactor in the cofactor-dependent enzymes to gain new-to-nature and controllable reactivities (see the picture above).

Here, I want to say thanks to my supervisor, committee members and lab mates. My lab mates helped me practiced many times for the presentation and gave me lots of useful questions and suggestions. Jianhan and all my committee members were super helpful and gave me lots of constructive suggestions and questions during the defense.

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Published Paper: Targeting TRP Channels: Recent Advances in Structure, Ligand Binding and Molecular Mechanisms

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Published Paper: Hydrophobic gating in bundle crossing channels

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received CBI fellowship

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