About Us
Starting January 2016, The Liu Lab becomes a new member of the 79 laboratories at The Rockefeller University. We utilize cutting-edge biophysical and biochemical tools to probe life at the nanoscale. Our newly renovated lab space is located on the B and C levels of the Theobald Smith Hall, part of the Collaborative Research Center. We are also part of the Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering/Weill-Cornell Tri-Institute community.
Join Us
We are recruiting talented and motivated individuals who share the same passion for mechanistic and quantitative science. Our work is at the interface between biology, physics, and chemistry. If you are interested in joining our team, please contact Shixin.
Research Interests
The flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein is processed by a myriad of molecular motors, such as DNA/RNA polymerases and the ribosome. The activities of these nano-machines are coupled to one another, allowing the cell to regulate its RNA and protein levels and respond to changing conditions in a coordinated manner. We are interested in studying the interaction, cooperation, and competition between key gene-expression machineries in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. Our main approach is to develop and apply single-molecule detection and manipulation methods to directly visualize these molecular events in real time. We will also perform cellular imaging and genome-wide studies to put insights from in-vitro biophysical assays into physiological contexts. Our long-term goal is to establish a quantitative input-output relationship between environmental stimuli and gene expression profiles in both normal and diseased cells.
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