Term: 2025

The research in Zhang group at UC Berkeley lies at the interface of chemistry, biology and engineering, with special interest in discovery, biosynthesis and functional study of microbial natural products. Current research themes include discovering novel enzymes for natural product biosynthesis, investigating new enzyme mechanisms, engineering biosynthesis and biocatalysis, discovering new bioactive natural products from microbiomes, and developing new research toolkit to promote the above-mentioned research. As a Miller Professor, Dr. Zhang is interested in discovering novel small-molecule...

Markita Landry develops molecular imaging technologies to study neuromodulation in the brain. Her lab engineers near-infrared nanosensors for real-time imaging of neurotransmitters, enabling unprecedented insight into neuromodulator dynamics in health and disease. She also develops nanoscale delivery systems to transport genetic material across biological barriers and plants to expedite the process of sustainable crop bioengineering. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges physics, chemistry, neuroscience, and bioengineering to advance both fundamental neuroscience and applied biotechnology.

Michi Taga is a microbiologist and a Professor in the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology. Her research investigates nutrient-sharing interactions among bacteria, using vitamin B12 as a model nutrient to understand how microbes interact in complex communities such as the gut and soil. She has recently begun to explore how microbes release intracellular nutrients such as amino acids to support the growth of dependent microbes. Under the Miller Professorship, she will investigate the role of viral lysis in nutrient release and the evolution of nutritional interdependence in microbial...

Our lab studies viruses that infect bacteria—called bacteriophages—and how they shape the biology and evolution of Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera. Using clinical isolates, we investigate how V. cholerae defends itself against phage attack, and how its phages evolve to overcome these defenses. This ongoing conflict plays out in both aquatic reservoirs and the human gut, with direct consequences for cholera transmission and outbreak severity. By understanding these interactions, we aim to uncover new ways to track, predict, and potentially control the spread of this deadly...

Albert Ruhí is an Associate Professor of Freshwater Ecology in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. His group combines field experiments, chemical tracers, and time-series analysis to study how river ecosystems respond to climatic extremes. A frontier in this field is understanding how drought is altering the movement of organisms and nutrients between groundwater, rivers, and adjacent forests. During the Miller Professorship, he will examine the extent to which drought can disrupt the production and transfer of critical omega-3 fatty acids along...

I am a mathematician working on nonlinear Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) arising from physics, such as general relativity, astrophysics, and fluid mechanics. My research is often directly connected to fundamental physical issues: during my Miller Professorship, I plan to investigate problems that will elucidate (i) the structure of generic gravitational singularities inside black holes, (ii) the evolution of stars, and (iii) violent instabilities of plasma on the Sun. By studying these problems, I aim to uncover the intricate mathematical structures that underlie complex physical...

The Nomura Research Group is focused on reimagining druggability using chemoproteomic platforms to develop transformative medicines. One of the greatest challenges that we face in discovering new disease therapies is that most proteins are considered “undruggable,” in that most proteins do not possess known binding pockets or “ligandable hotspots” that small-molecules can bind to modulate protein function. Our research group addresses this challenge by advancing and applying chemoproteomic platforms to discover and pharmacologically target unique and novel ligandable hotspots for disease...

Na Ji’s research bridges neuroscience and optical physics, advancing structural and functional imaging of live brains by developing microscopy tools utilizing adaptive optics, Bessel beams, infinity mirrors, and machine learning. These innovations enable high-throughput, deep-brain imaging of synaptic activity and action potentials across hundreds of neurons. Her lab uses these methods to uncover new insights into visual processing in mice and collaborates widely across multiple disciplines including basic and translational neuroscience, plant biology, and material research and engineering.

Lin He is a Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology Division in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley. Her lab studies the functional importance of the non-protein-coding elements in the mammalian genomes. One particular area of interest is the role of transposon elements, which were historically viewed as degenerated “parasitic” DNAs resulting from ancient invasions by foreign DNAs. However, transposons yield numerous functional elements for the host mammalian genomes, conferring new mechanisms of gene regulation, generating new gene functions, and...

Professor Groves is primarily interested in biomolecular information processing mechanisms, especially at the cell membrane. Living cells are not at all well-mixed reaction chambers. Rather, the molecular processes of life occur in elaborate spatial and temporal patterns. These features of chemical reactions in living systems add fascinating new dimensions to chemistry that is rarely encountered outside of biology. Current research in Professor Groves’ laboratory focuses on how protein condensation phase transitions can play important noise suppression and signal gating roles in the...