Chong Fang
Chong Fang
Biography
Dr. Chong Fang is currently Professor of Chemistry at Oregon State University. Dr. Fang earned his Ph.D. (2006) from the late Prof. Robin Hochstrasser at UPenn focusing on 2D-IR studies of biomolecules from helices to drug-enzyme complexes in aqueous solution (a PNAS Cover in 2007), and performed his postdoctoral research with Prof. Richard Mathies at UC Berkeley (2007–2010) on the wild-type GFP fluorescence mechanism (a Nature Cover in 2009). Earlier, Dr. Fang obtained dual B.S. in Chemical Physics and Applied Computer Science from USTC (1996–2001), where he received the Guo Moruo Scholarship in 2000. Since 2010, the Fang Group at Oregon State has developed state-of-the-art ultrafast spectroscopic toolsets including tunable femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) and broadband up-converted multicolor array (BUMA) to capture “molecular movies” and elucidated the structure-function relationships of molecular systems ranging from biosensors, photoacids to metal-organic complexes (a JPCL Cover in 2018 and an Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem. article in 2020). His research has been featured in Imaging & Microscopy (Germany), The Analytical Scientist and Research Features (UK), ScienceDaily, Phys.org, Medical News Today, Modern Metals, and KMTR TV (USA), to name a few. Notable accolades include the NSF CAREER Award (2015–2021), the inaugural 2015 Robin Hochstrasser International Young Investigator Award (Elsevier and Chemical Physics), the 2016 OSU Promising Scholar Award and Milton Harris Faculty Teaching Award, the 2019 OSU Impact Award for Outstanding Scholarship, and the 2021 College of Science Milton Harris Award in Basic Research.
Research
The central theme of Dr. Fang's research is to investigate the structure-function relationships of biomolecules and novel materials, ranging from fluorescent proteins and ion sensors which can light up subcellular entities for bioimaging, proteins and enzymes that are potential targets for biomedicine, to nanoclusters and metal-organic complexes in solution. The interplay between chemistry, physics, and biology greatly facilitates ultrafast spectroscopic advances in the molecular vibration domain, which include FSRS (femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy) and 2D IR (two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy). The real-time structural snapshots of molecules "in action" offer unprecedented mechanistic insights on the intrinsic molecular timescales (10 fs - 1 ps) critical for their specific functions. In particular, photoswitchable and calcium-sensing fluorescent proteins have been studied by FSRS to reveal the atomic choreography of the "flexible" chromophore inside the protein pocket upon photoexcitation and ion binding. Functional motions of photoacids and other photosensitive materials during chemical reactions in condensed phase have also been elucidated.
Research Interests
- Physical Chemistry
- Materials Chemistry
- Bioanalytical Chemistry
Education
Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley 2007-2010
Ph.D., Physical Chemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania 2006
Dual B.S., Chemical Physics and Applied Computer Science, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) 2001
Publications
- For a complete list of publications, visit the Fang Lab
- Cheng Chen, Jasmine N. Tutol, Longteng Tang, Liangdong Zhu, Whitney S. Y. Ong, Sheel C. Dodani,* and Chong Fang* (2021) "Excitation Ratiometric Chloride Sensing in a Standalone Yellow Fluorescent Protein is Powered by the Interplay between Proton Transfer and Conformational Reorganization", Chem. Sci., 12 (34), 11382–11393 (Open Access). DOI: 10.1039/D1SC00847A.
- Chong Fang* and Longteng Tang (2020) "Mapping Structural Dynamics of Proteins with Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy", Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem., 71 (1), 239-265. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physchem-071119-040154. Review in Advance first posted online on February 19, 2020. Volume publication date April 20, 2020.
- Taylor D. Krueger, Longteng Tang, Liangdong Zhu, Isabella L. Breen, Rebekka M. Wachter, and Chong Fang* (2020) "Dual Illumination Enhances Transformation of an Engineered Green-to-Red Photoconvertible Fluorescent Protein", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 59 (4), 1644-1652. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201911379 and 10.1002/ange.201911379.
- Longteng Tang, Liangdong Zhu, Maraia E. Ener, Hongxin Gao, Yanli Wang, John T. Groves, Thomas G. Spiro*, and Chong Fang* (2019) "Photoinduced charge flow inside an iron porphyrazine complex", Chem. Commun., 55 (90), 13606-13609. DOI: 10.1039/C9CC06193B. Published online: Oct. 22, 2019.
- Chong Fang, Longteng Tang, Breland G. Oscar, and Cheng Chen (2018) "Capturing Structural Snapshots during Photochemical Reactions with Ultrafast Raman Spectroscopy: From Materials Transformation to Biosensor Responses" (Invited Perspective), J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 9 (12), 3253–3263. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b00373. The Cover (JPCL Vol. 9, Iss. 12) went live on June 21, 2018.
- Weimin Liu, Yanli Wang, Longteng Tang, Breland G. Oscar, Liangdong Zhu, and Chong Fang (2016) "Panoramic portrait of primary molecular events preceding excited state proton transfer in water", Chem. Sci., 7 (8), 5484-5494. DOI:10.1039/C6SC00672H.
- Longteng Tang, Weimin Liu, Yanli Wang, Liangdong Zhu, Fangyuan Han, and Chong Fang (2016) "Ultrafast Structural Evolution and Chromophore Inhomogeneity Inside a Green Fluorescent Protein Based Ca2+ Biosensor", J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 7 (7), 1225-1230. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b00236.
- Fangyuan Han, Weimin Liu, Liangdong Zhu, Yanli Wang, and Chong Fang (2016) "Initial Hydrogen-Bonding Dynamics of Photoexcited Coumarin in Solution with Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy", J. Mater. Chem. C, 4 (14), 2954-2963. First published online 02 Dec 2015. DOI: 10.1039/C5TC03598H. Part of Themed Issue on Shape-Responsive Fluorophores.
- Liangdong Zhu, Sumit Saha, Weimin Liu, Yanli Wang, Douglas A. Keszler, and Chong Fang (2015) "Simultaneous solution-based generation and characterization of crystalline bismuth thin film by femtosecond laser spectroscopy", Appl. Phys. Lett., 107 (6), 061901. DOI: 10.1063/1.4928483. Published on Web: August 10, 2015.
- Longteng Tang, Weimin Liu, Yanli Wang, Yongxin Zhao, Breland G. Oscar, Robert E. Campbell, and Chong Fang (2015) "Unraveling Ultrafast Photoinduced Proton Transfer Dynamics in a Fluorescent Protein Biosensor for Ca2+ Imaging", Chem. Eur. J., 21 (17), 6481-6490. Published on Web: March 11, 2015. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201500491.
- Liangdong Zhu, Weimin Liu, and Chong Fang (2014) “A versatile femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy setup with tunable pulses in the visible to near infrared”, Appl. Phys. Lett., 105 (4), 041106 (5 pages). DOI: 10.1063/1.4891766. Published on Web: July 28, 2014.
- Breland G. Oscar, Weimin Liu, Yongxin Zhao, Longteng Tang, Yanli Wang, Robert E. Campbell, and Chong Fang (2014) "Excited state structural dynamics of a dual-emission calmodulin-green fluorescent protein sensor for calcium ion imaging", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 111 (28), 10191-10196. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1403712111. Published online before print: July 1, 2014.
- Wei Wang, Weimin Liu, I-Ya Chang, Lindsay A. Wills, Lev N. Zakharov, Shannon W. Boettcher, Paul Ha-Yeon Cheong, Chong Fang and Douglas A. Keszler (2013) "Electrolytic synthesis of aqueous aluminum nanoclusters and in situ characterization by femtosecond Raman spectroscopy & computations", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 110 (46), 18397-18401. Published online before print October 28, 2013. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1315396110 (Open Access).
- Weimin Liu, Fangyuan Han, Connor Smith, and Chong Fang (2012) “Ultrafast conformational dynamics of pyranine during excited state proton transfer in aqueous solution revealed by femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy”, J. Phys. Chem. B, 116 (35), 10535-10550. DOI: 10.1021/jp3020707.
- Chong Fang, Renee R. Frontiera, Rosalie Tran, and Richard A. Mathies (2009) “Mapping GFP structure evolution during proton transfer with femtosecond Raman spectroscopy”, Nature, 462, 200–204. DOI: 10.1038/nature08527.
- Chong Fang, Joseph D. Bauman, Kalyan Das, Amanda Remorino, Eddy Arnold, and Robin M. Hochstrasser (2008) “Two-dimensional infrared spectra reveal relaxation of the nonnucleoside inhibitor TMC278 complexed with the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 105 (5), 1472–1477. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0709320104.
Awards
- OSU College of Science Milton Harris Award in Basic Research (2021)
- OSU College of Science SciRIS-ii (Individual Investigator) Award (2021)
- Oregon State University Impact Award for Outstanding Scholarship (2019)
- Oregon State University Promising Scholar Award (2016)
- OSU Chemistry Milton Harris Faculty Teaching Award (2016)
- Oregon Medical Research Foundation (MRF) New Investigator Award (2016)
- Robin Hochstrasser Young Investigator Award by Elsevier and Chemical Physics (2015)
- The Honor Society of PKP Emerging Scholar Award (2015)
- NSF CAREER Award (2015)
- Oregon State University Faculty Release Time Award (2015)
- Oregon State University General Research Fund & Research Equipment Reserve Fund (2014)
- US Air Force OSR Travel Grant for the GRC on Vibrational Spectroscopy (2012)
- College of Science Research Venture Fund Award, Oregon State University (2011)
- Graduate Student Travel Award, Division of Chemical Physics, APS (2006)
- SAS Dean's Scholar, University of Pennsylvania (2005)
- Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award, USTC (2001)
- Guo Moruo Scholarship, USTC (2000)
- Outstanding Student Scholarship, Shanghai Baosteel Education Fund (1999)
- Outstanding Interdisciplinary Student Scholarship, Japan Utilities Communication Network (1998)
