Research Experiences:
2023–Present: Assistant Professor, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University
2020–2023: Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University (Advisor: Prof. Steven G. Boxer)
2014–2019: Ph.D. in Chemistry, College of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley (Advisor: Prof. Omar M. Yaghi)
2010–2014: B.S. in Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University (Advisor: Prof. Gaoquan Shi)
Research Interests
Within specific protein sites, exceptionally intense electric fields can be found, reaching magnitudes as high as 100 MV/cm, or 10 V/nm. These remarkable electric fields are produced by charges and dipoles held by amino acid residues, peptide backbones, and metal ions. Once the electric fields are projected onto a chemical bond undergoing a reaction, its transition state can be substantially stabilized, leading to rate acceleration by several orders of magnitude.
The Ji lab aims to leverage the power of protein electrostatics to activate chemical bonds that are believed inert and to drive chemical reactions that are often sluggish. We are especially interested in the chemical bonds and the reactions at the interface of chemistry and biology. By combining synthetic chemistry, molecular biology, enzymology, and spectroscopy, we aim to develop novel biocatalysts, medicines, and diagnostics that improve human health.
Selected Publications
(#co-first authorship, *co-corresponding authorship)
- C. Zheng#, Z. Ji#, I. I. Mathews, S. G. Boxer, Enhanced active-site electric field accelerates enzyme catalysis. Nat. Chem., 2023, DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01287-x.
- Z. Ji*, S. G. Boxer*, β-Lactamases evolve against antibiotics by acquiring large active-site electric fields. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2022, 144, 22289-22294.
- Z. Ji, J. Kozuch, I. I. Mathews, C. S. Diercks, Y. Shamsudin, M. A. Schultz, S. G. Boxer, Protein electric fields enable faster and longer-lasting covalent inhibition of β-lactamases. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2022, 144, 20947-20954.
- N. A. Danaf, W. Schrimpf, P. Hirschle, D. C. Lamb, Z. Ji*, S. Wuttke*, Linker exchange via migration along the backbone in metal-organic frameworks. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2021, 143, 10541-10546.
- Z. Ji, T. Li, O. M. Yaghi, Sequencing of metals in multivariate metal-organic frameworks. Science, 2020, 369, 674-680.
- Z. Ji#, H. Zhang#, H. Liu, O. M. Yaghi, P. Yang, Cytoprotective metal-organic frameworks for anaerobic bacteria. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2018, 115, 10582-10587.
- Z. Ji, C. A. Trickett, X. Pei, O. M. Yaghi, Linking molybdenum-sulfur clusters for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2018, 140, 13618-13622.
