Lin Zhang, Ph.D. in Microbiology, Professor at the Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology. In 2011, Dr. Zhang obtained his Ph.D. from Fudan University and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2013, he joined the Institute of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Freiburg, Germany, as a postdoctoral researcher, later becoming a senior research fellow in 2019.

Dr. Zhang's research focuses on the biochemistry and structural biology of metalloproteins and membrane proteins derived from industrially and agriculturally important microbes and pathogens. To date, he has published over 30 papers in prestigious journals, including Nature, Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Communications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, Journal of the American Chemical Society, and Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

Education

Ph.D. in Microbiology (September 2006–June 2011): School of Life Sciences, Fudan University

B.Sc. in Biotechnology (September 2002–July 2006): School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University

Professional Experience

December 2024–Present: Professor, Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology

August 2013–November 2024: Postdoctoral Fellow and Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Freiburg, Germany

July 2011–July 2013: Postdoctoral Fellow, Shanghai Institutes for Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences

1.Franke, P., Freiberger S.,Zhang, L., Einsle, O.*, Conformational protection of molybdenum nitrogenase by Shethna protein II.Nature. 637, 998-1004 (2025)

2.Zhang, L., Einsle, O.*, Architecture of the RNF1 Complex that drives Biological Nitrogen Fixation.Nature Chemical Biology. 20, 1078–1085 (2024)

3.Ilcu, L., Denkhaus, L., Brausemann, A.,Zhang, L.*, Einsle, O., Architecture of the Heme-translocating CcmABCD/E Complex required for Cytochrome c Maturation.Nature Communications. 14, 5190 (2023) (co-corresponding author).

4.Lycus, P., Einsle, O.*,Zhang, L.*, Structural biology of proteins involved in nitrogen cycling.Current Opinion in Chemical Biology. 74, 102278 (2023)

5.Müller, C.#,Zhang, L.#, Zipfel, S., Topitsch, A., Lutz, M., Eckert, J., Prasser, B., Chami, M., Lü, W., Du, J.*, Einsle, O.*, Molecular interplay of an assembly machinery for nitrous oxide reductase.Nature. 608, 626-631 (2022) (#co-first author).

6.Zhang, L., Bill, E., Kroneck, P.M.H., Einsle, O.*, Histidine-gated proton-coupled electron transfer to the CuA site of nitrous oxide reductase.Journal of the American Chemical Society. 143, 830-838 (2021).

7.Zhang, L., Wüst, A., Prasser, B., Müller, C., Einsle, O.*, Functional assembly of nitrous oxide reductase provides insights into copper site maturation.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 116, 12822-12827 (2019).

Dr. Zhang's research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms of metalloproteins and membrane proteins from key industrial, agricultural, and pathogenic microorganisms, providing a rational basis for microbial cell factory engineering and drug design.