Xiaoqin Zou is being recognized for her “distinguished contributions to the field of computational and theoretical biophysics, particularly for developing novel physics-based algorithms for modeling protein interactions with applications to structure-based drug design.”

Zou’s laboratory focuses on the development of novel computational methods to model protein interactions, such as protein-ligand, protein-protein, and protein-nucleic acids interactions, to better understand how the underlying protein functions impact the design of therapeutic interventions. The interdisciplinary research integrates physics-based methods with bioinformatic-based methods and collaborates with drug developers for the treatment of cardiovascular arrythmias, antibiotic resistance and cancer.

“I am honored to be elected as an AAAS Fellow and to join this prestigious team of scientists,” Zou said. “It is a milestone in my research career and a recognition of my team’s hard work over the past 20 years. We will continue to endeavor for better science, innovative methods and therapeutic design that can improve quality of life.”

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. Founded in 1848, the nonprofit fulfills its mission to “advance science and service society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education and public engagement.

Read more about the 2022 AAAS Fellows here.