Dr. Yubin Zhou is a tenured Professor, Chancellor EDGES Fellow, Presidential Impact Fellow, and Director of the Center for Translational Cancer Research at the Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University. He holds a primary faculty appointment in the Department of Translational Medical Sciences, with joint appointments in the Department of Medical Physiology in the College of Medicine and the School of Engineering Medicine (EnMed). As a physician scientist, Dr. Zhou received his medical training and completed an internship in internal medicine from 1998 to 2003, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry and Bioinformatics from Georgia State University between 2004 and 2008. He subsequently completed postdoctoral training in immunology at Harvard Medical School (2008–2010) and served as an Instructor at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology and in the Program in Immunology at the University of California, San Diego (2010–2012). Since joining Texas A&M in 2012, Dr. Zhou has led a multidisciplinary research program at the interface of bioengineering, chemical biology, and synthetic immunology. His laboratory develops technologies for the remote and programmable control of protein activity, cellular physiology, and designer cell systems, integrating mechanistic biology, molecular engineering, and translational science to address fundamental and therapeutic questions in calcium signaling, optogenetics, epigenetic regulation, and immunotherapy. A defining feature of his research program is the translation of fundamental discoveries into enabling technologies, resulting in over a dozen patents, multiple industry licensing agreements, and foundational contributions to clinical-stage programs.
Dr. Zhou has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including Nature Methods, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Genetics, Nature Aging, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Cancer Cell, Cancer Discovery, Cell Chemical Biology, and Journal of the American Chemical Society. His work has received more than 27,000 citations, with an H-index of 63. He has been recognized among Stanford University’s World’s Most-Cited Scientists, and his research has been featured on more than a dozen journal covers and highlighted by major scientific media outlets. A pioneering focus of Dr. Zhou’s research has been the development of opsin-free optogenetic and chemogenetic platforms tailored to the immune system. His laboratory achieved the first demonstrations of wireless optogenetic immunomodulation in living mammals, establishing conceptual and technological foundations for nano-optogenetic immunotherapy. More broadly, his group seeks to transform biological systems into programmable therapeutic platforms by integrating molecular engineering with emerging approaches in synthetic biology, cell engineering, and precision medicine.
Dr. Zhou’s contributions have been recognized with numerous honors and awards, including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Fellow Award, Special Fellow Award, and Translational Research Program Award; the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award; the National Cancer Institute Innovative Research in Cancer Nanotechnology Award; and the Texas A&M University Research Excellence Award. He is a Protégé Member of the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology (TAMEST), a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (SMNAI), and an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (FAAAS), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (FAIMBE), and the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). His research program has been supported by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Cancer Society, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), the John S. Dunn Foundation, the Welch Foundation, and Texas A&M University.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING • La Jolla Institute for Immunology & UCSD, Instructor and LLS Special Fellow 2012• Harvard Medical School, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Fellow 2010• Georgia State University, Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry and bioinformatics) 2008 • Georgia State University, Master of Science (Chemistry and bioinformatics) 2007• Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Bachelor of Medicine (Internal Medicine) 2003
RESEARCH INTERESTS • Calcium channels and T cell receptor signaling• Programmable control of cellular signaling and physiology• Optogenetics, chemogenetics, and protein engineering• Synthetic immunology and intelligent cell-based immunotherapy• Translational bioengineering and theranostics
TEACHING INTERESTS
• Cell Signaling and immunology• Medical student grand rounds• Synthetic biology and bioengineering• Translational biomedical science• AI-powered protein design and engineering
AWARDS, RECOGNITION AND SERVICE• 2026 Founding Member, The International Society for Engineering Health (ISEH)• 2026 Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)• 2026 Senior Member, National Academy of Inventors (NAI) • 2025 Elected Fellow, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)• 2023 Elected Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)• 2025 Chancellor EDGES Fellow, Texas A&M University• 2026 Chair, Cellular Signaling: Proteins, Pathways, & Mechanisms, American Physiology Summit • 2025 Chair, Session on Frontiers in CRISPR Tools, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) 2025 Annual Meeting • 2025 High-Impact/High-Risk Research Award, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas• 2024 Chair, Session on Cancer Immunoengineering & Immunotherapy, BMES Annual Meeting 2024 • 2024 Chair, Nominating Committee, Cell & Mol Physiology Section, American Physiology Society• 2024 Chair, Cell Signaling Feature Topics, American Physiology Summit 2024• 2023 Translational Research Program Award, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society• 2023 Co-Chair, FASEB Scientific Research Conference - Calcium and Cell Function• 2022 TAMEST Protégé, The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST)• 2022 Stanford’s List of World’s Top 2% Most Cited Scientists • 2021 Presidential Impact Fellow, Texas A&M University• 2019 Innovative Research in Cancer Nanotechnology Award, NCI• 2018 John S. Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award• 2017 Faculty Research Excellence Award, COM, Texas A&M University• 2017 Research Scholar Award, American Cancer Society • 2011 Special Fellow Award, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society• 2011 Arthritis Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship• 2008 Fellow Award, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society • 2008 Irvington Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship, Caner Research Institute • 2008 Graduate Award for Outstanding Research at the Doctoral Level• 2003 The Best Clinical Intern Award, Zhejiang University School of Medicine• 2001 Shi Hua-Yu Medicine Scholarship, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (10 OUT OF 200+)
1. Initial activation of STIM1, the regulator of store-operated Ca2+ entry. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 2013. PMID: 238514582. Proteomic mapping of ER-PM junctions identifies STIMATE as a novel regulator of Ca2+ influx. Nature Cell Biology 2015. PMID: 263226793. Circularly permuted LOV2 as a modular domain for optogenetic engineering. Nature Chemical Biology 2021. PMID: 339587934. Nano-optogenetic engineering of CAR T-cells for precision immunotherapy with enhanced safety. Nature Nanotechnology 2021. PMID: 346974915. Remote control of cellular immunotherapy. Nature Reviews Bioengineering 2023 6. Engineering of NEMO as calcium indicators with ultra-high dynamics and sensitivity. Nature Methods 20237. TET2 modulates spatial relocalization of heterochromatin in aged hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Nature Aging 20238. Perturbing TET2 condensation promotes aberrant genome-wide DNA methylation and curtails leukemia growth. Nature Cell Biology 20249. Repurposing salicylic acid as a versatile inducer of proximity. Nature Chemical Biology 2025. PMID: 4051454810. Interrogating cell physiology by using light and chemicals. Annual Review of Physiology 2026. PMID: 41212991
Dr. Zhou has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including Nature Methods, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Genetics, Nature Aging, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Cancer Cell, Cancer Discovery, Cell Chemical Biology, and Journal of the American Chemical Society. His work has received more than 27,000 citations, with an H-index of 63. He has been recognized among Stanford University’s World’s Most-Cited Scientists, and his research has been featured on more than a dozen journal covers and highlighted by major scientific media outlets. A pioneering focus of Dr. Zhou’s research has been the development of opsin-free optogenetic and chemogenetic platforms tailored to the immune system. His laboratory achieved the first demonstrations of wireless optogenetic immunomodulation in living mammals, establishing conceptual and technological foundations for nano-optogenetic immunotherapy. More broadly, his group seeks to transform biological systems into programmable therapeutic platforms by integrating molecular engineering with emerging approaches in synthetic biology, cell engineering, and precision medicine.
Dr. Zhou’s contributions have been recognized with numerous honors and awards, including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Fellow Award, Special Fellow Award, and Translational Research Program Award; the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award; the National Cancer Institute Innovative Research in Cancer Nanotechnology Award; and the Texas A&M University Research Excellence Award. He is a Protégé Member of the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology (TAMEST), a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (SMNAI), and an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (FAAAS), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (FAIMBE), and the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). His research program has been supported by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Cancer Society, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), the John S. Dunn Foundation, the Welch Foundation, and Texas A&M University.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING • La Jolla Institute for Immunology & UCSD, Instructor and LLS Special Fellow 2012• Harvard Medical School, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Fellow 2010• Georgia State University, Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry and bioinformatics) 2008 • Georgia State University, Master of Science (Chemistry and bioinformatics) 2007• Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Bachelor of Medicine (Internal Medicine) 2003
RESEARCH INTERESTS • Calcium channels and T cell receptor signaling• Programmable control of cellular signaling and physiology• Optogenetics, chemogenetics, and protein engineering• Synthetic immunology and intelligent cell-based immunotherapy• Translational bioengineering and theranostics
TEACHING INTERESTS
• Cell Signaling and immunology• Medical student grand rounds• Synthetic biology and bioengineering• Translational biomedical science• AI-powered protein design and engineering
AWARDS, RECOGNITION AND SERVICE• 2026 Founding Member, The International Society for Engineering Health (ISEH)• 2026 Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)• 2026 Senior Member, National Academy of Inventors (NAI) • 2025 Elected Fellow, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)• 2023 Elected Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)• 2025 Chancellor EDGES Fellow, Texas A&M University• 2026 Chair, Cellular Signaling: Proteins, Pathways, & Mechanisms, American Physiology Summit • 2025 Chair, Session on Frontiers in CRISPR Tools, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) 2025 Annual Meeting • 2025 High-Impact/High-Risk Research Award, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas• 2024 Chair, Session on Cancer Immunoengineering & Immunotherapy, BMES Annual Meeting 2024 • 2024 Chair, Nominating Committee, Cell & Mol Physiology Section, American Physiology Society• 2024 Chair, Cell Signaling Feature Topics, American Physiology Summit 2024• 2023 Translational Research Program Award, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society• 2023 Co-Chair, FASEB Scientific Research Conference - Calcium and Cell Function• 2022 TAMEST Protégé, The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST)• 2022 Stanford’s List of World’s Top 2% Most Cited Scientists • 2021 Presidential Impact Fellow, Texas A&M University• 2019 Innovative Research in Cancer Nanotechnology Award, NCI• 2018 John S. Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award• 2017 Faculty Research Excellence Award, COM, Texas A&M University• 2017 Research Scholar Award, American Cancer Society • 2011 Special Fellow Award, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society• 2011 Arthritis Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship• 2008 Fellow Award, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society • 2008 Irvington Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship, Caner Research Institute • 2008 Graduate Award for Outstanding Research at the Doctoral Level• 2003 The Best Clinical Intern Award, Zhejiang University School of Medicine• 2001 Shi Hua-Yu Medicine Scholarship, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (10 OUT OF 200+)
1. Initial activation of STIM1, the regulator of store-operated Ca2+ entry. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 2013. PMID: 238514582. Proteomic mapping of ER-PM junctions identifies STIMATE as a novel regulator of Ca2+ influx. Nature Cell Biology 2015. PMID: 263226793. Circularly permuted LOV2 as a modular domain for optogenetic engineering. Nature Chemical Biology 2021. PMID: 339587934. Nano-optogenetic engineering of CAR T-cells for precision immunotherapy with enhanced safety. Nature Nanotechnology 2021. PMID: 346974915. Remote control of cellular immunotherapy. Nature Reviews Bioengineering 2023 6. Engineering of NEMO as calcium indicators with ultra-high dynamics and sensitivity. Nature Methods 20237. TET2 modulates spatial relocalization of heterochromatin in aged hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Nature Aging 20238. Perturbing TET2 condensation promotes aberrant genome-wide DNA methylation and curtails leukemia growth. Nature Cell Biology 20249. Repurposing salicylic acid as a versatile inducer of proximity. Nature Chemical Biology 2025. PMID: 4051454810. Interrogating cell physiology by using light and chemicals. Annual Review of Physiology 2026. PMID: 41212991