Wei Zhang, Ph.D.

Medicinal Chemist
Computational Chemist
Southern Research Institute
2000 Ninth Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35205
Phone: 205-581-2361
E-mail: zhangw@southernresearch.org

Biography

Dr. Zhang received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 2005 from the University of Delaware, where he focused on computational chemistry studies related to protein folding, protein structure prediction/refinement, and force field development. After postdoctoral studies in a structural biology group at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Dr. Zhang joined Southern Research in 2007 and is currently a medicinal/computational chemist working in Drug Discovery.

Research Focus: Exploring Biological Relevant Processes through Computational Approaches

Dr. Zhang's primary research interests focus on the development and application of computational methods to improve basic understanding of biological processes and to support drug discovery and medicinal efforts. Current studies involve both Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD) and molecular modeling on various biomolecular systems. A wide range of computational techniques involving advanced modeling, simulation, and visualization are employed to discover, design, and optimize biologically active compounds, including:

• Molecular dynamics simulation
• Receptor-based and ligand-based drug design
• Bioinformatics and cheminformatics analysis
• Virtual high-throughput screening (vHTS)
• Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis

Dr. Zhang also conducts extensive simulation studies on proteins, protein-ligands, and protein-protein complex systems to explore the underlying mechanisms relating protein structure, function, and dynamics. Current projects involve GPCRs, kinesins, kinases, and neurotransporters.

Publications