Introduction

BSc (Fudan University, China); Ph.D. (University of Calgary, Canada); Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences; Founding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong

Founding Dean, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)

Prof. Mingjie Zhang obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Fudan University, Shanghai in 1988, and his Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry in the University of Calgary, Canada in 1994. After a brief postdoctoral training in the Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Canada, he established his own laboratory as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in 1995.  Before becoming to be the Founding Dean of School of Life Sciences at SUSTech, Prof Zhang was a Kerry Holdings Professor of Science, Senior Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study, and Chair Professor in the Division of Life Science, HKUST. 

Research Interests：

1. Biochemical and structural basis of important protein complexes in neural signal transduction.

Mechanisms of the generation and maintenance of neural cell polarity

Professional Experience：

2020-now Southern University of Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences  Dean

2019-now Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Greater Bay Biomedical InnoCenter   Senior principal investigator

2004-2020 Shenzhen PKU-HKUST Medical Center  Associate Director, Institute director

1995-2020 Hong Kong University of Science and Technology   Professor, senior researcher

1995-2020 State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology   Associate Director

Postdoctoral Fellow, Ontario Cancer Institute, University of Toronto (Canada)     1994-1995

Educational Background：

B.Sc. in Chemistry, Fudan University (Shanghai, P.R. China)   1984-1988

Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Calgary (Calgary, Canada)   1989-1993

Postdoctoral Fellow, Ontario Cancer Institute, University of Toronto (Canada)     1994-1995

Honors & Awards：

2002 Outstanding Overseas Young Scientist Award by the Natural Science Foundation of China

2003 The Croucher Foundation Senior Research Fellow Award

2006 The State Natural Science Award (Second Prize)

2011 The Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Science and Technology Advancement Award

2021 C.C. Tan Life Science Achievement Award

Selected Publication：

1. Zeng, M., Díaz-Alonso, J., Ye, F., Chen, X., Xu, J., Ji, Z., Nicoll, RA., and Zhang, M.(2019) “Phase Separation-Mediated TARP/MAGUK Complex Condensation and AMPA Receptor Synaptic Transmission ”. Neuron, 104, 1-15.

2. Zeng, M., Chen, X., Guan, D., Xu, J., Wu, H., Tong, P., and Zhang, M.(2018) “Reconstituted Postsynaptic Density as a Molecular Platform for Understanding Synapse Formation and Plasticity”. Cell, 174, 1-16.

3. Li, J., Zhu, R., Chen, K., Zheng, H., Zhao, H., Yuan, C., Zhang, H., Wang, C., and Zhang, M.(2018) “Potent and specific Atg8-targeting autophagy inhibitory peptides from giant ankyrins”. Nature Chemical Biology , 14, pages778–787.

4. Ye, F., Kang, E., Yu, C., Qian, X., Jacob, F., Yu, C., Song, H., Ming, G., and Zhang, M.(2017) “DISC1 regulates neurogenesis via modulating kinetochore attachment of Ndel1/Nde1 during mitosis”. Neuron, 114(41), E8760-E8769.

5. Zeng, M. Shang, Y., Araki, Y., Guo, T., Huganir, R. L., and Zhang, M.(2016) “Phase transition in postsynaptic densities underlies formation of synaptic complexes and synaptic plasticity”. Cell 166, 1163-1175.