The Zhou Lab has research interests in NMR of Macromolecules, Physical Biochemistry, Protein Structure, and Structural Biology.

Education: PhD, Harvard University, 1998
More Information: Scholars at Duke

For the latest information on the Zhou Lab, please visit our website.

The Zhou lab focuses on the elucidation of the structure, dynamics, and function of protein–protein and protein–ligand interactions and their roles in various cellular processes. Our current efforts are directed toward enzyme and protein complexes that are involved in bacterial membrane biosynthesis, co-transcriptional regulation, and translesion DNA synthesis.

In order to achieve these goals, the Zhou lab integrates a variety of biochemical and biophysical tools, including NMR, X-ray crystallography, and enzymology. The lab has also played a major role in the development and application of innovative NMR technologies, including automated resonance assignment and structural analysis tools and high-resolution, high-dimensional spectral reconstruction techniques.

Recent News

April 30, 2021: Skyler Cochrane presented her research “Novel Sulfonyl Piperzine Antibiotics Targeting the Lipid A Biosynthetic Enzyme LpxH in Gram-negative Bacteria” during the Antibacterial Targets and Drug Discovery Spotlight Session at Experimental Biology Virtual Conference.

March 15, 2021: Congratulations to Skyler Cochrane for receiving the prestigious Jo Rae Wright Fellowship Award for Outstanding Women in Science! She is one of two awardees being recognized for her research that shows particular creativity and promise.

April 21, 2020: When Drs. Pei Zhou, Ashley Chi, and team determined the inner workings of the protein MESH1, they discovered how human cells deal with stressors and nutrient depletion. Read More

June 6, 2019: Congratulations to Jessica Wojtaszek, Javaria Najeeb, Ben Fenton and their colleagues for the discovery of a small molecule adjuvant that stems cancer drug resistance. The research is published in Cell today! Read more on EurekAlert! & ScienceDaily.