2023
January 31, 2023. The Lab receives an Innovation Award from the International Rett Syndrome Foundation.
January 12, 2023. LSX gives a talk at the Single-Molecule Biophysics Meeting in Aspen, Colorado.
February 11, 2022. Our collaborative work with the Kapoor Lab is published! In this paper, we used single-molecule force spectroscopy to study the catch binds formed by the mechanoenzyme Mdn1 during critical steps of ribosome biogenesis.
January 6, 2022. The lab goes to MSG for a Knicks-Celtics showdown and witnesses an amazing buzzer beater!
April 25, 2022. LSX visits Penn State University and gives a departmental seminar at the Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation hosted by Dr. Lu Bai.
February 19, 2022. Most of the lab attends the annual Biophysical Society meeting in San Francisco, the first in-person conference since the pandemic. LSX gave a talk at the Single-Molecule Forces, Manipulation & Visualization Subgroup. We also made a homecoming trip to UC Berkeley and the Bustamante Lab, where many tools and ideas started!
July 21, 2022. John passes his thesis research project defense. Good job, John!
July 19, 2022. Tuan defends his PhD thesis “Mechanical Manipulation of Eukaryotic Chromatin by DNA-Binding Proteins”. Congratulations, Dr. Nguyen!
July 9, 2022. Our paper on the mechanics of TF:DNA co-condensation is published! This work is selected as Editors’ Highlights in “Genetics, Genomics and Epigenetics” at Nature Communications. And check out a featured article by LUMICKS.
July 5, 2022. Our research is featured by the Sloan Foundation “Why enzymes are better proofreaders than humans.”
July 5, 2022. Jieru Li becomes the newest postdoc in our lab. Welcome!
June 23, 2022. The lab attends the Anderson center for cancer research retreat on campus. Gabriella, Jeremy, and Tuan each gave a nice talk.
June 6, 2022. The lab holds a special group meeting where everyone presents their dream projects! Lots of good ideas were presented.
May 31, 2022. LSX gives a virtual seminar at EPFL hosted by Dr. Beat Fierz.
April 28, 2022. Our H1 paper is published and featured on the cover of the May issue of NSMB (H1 & ssDNA enter a new phase)! Read the news story here.
October 12, 2022. Ling represents the lab and gives a talk at the Chemical & Structural Biology retreat at Briarcliff Manor, NY. Five days later, Ling departs the lab and starts her lab at Southern University of Science and Technology in ShenZhen, China. We are excited for your new journey, Ling, and will miss you!
October 11, 2022. A pair of papers on ORC-nucleosome interaction led by Sai and in collaboration with the O’Donnell lab are published (link 1 and link 2)! These studies provide insights into the mechanism of eukaryotic origin licensing and replication initiation.
September 8, 2022. Gabriella is one the 3 student speakers at the annual TPCB Symposium and gave a great talk on her project!
September 2, 2022. Jeremy and Gabriella receive an NIH F30 and F31 fellowship, respectively. Congratulations!
August 11, 2022. Stephany, a Sloan Undergraduate Fellow in the lab, did a fantastic job presenting her poster at the end of the RU SURF summer program. Good job, Stephany!
August 8, 2022. The second installment of Liu Lab Retreat in the Hamptons! We enjoy a nice boat ride this time.
2022
December 20, 2022. Our work on the Zika virus NS3 helicase is published in the special issue of Biophysical Journal dedicated to Ned Seeman, a pioneer of DNA nanotechnology.
December 8, 2022. The lab celebrates the holidays with good food and a snowflake making party.
November 2022. LSX has a busy month traveling, giving seminars at Emory University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
November 25, 2022. Our paper on the multimodal interaction of Smc5/6 with DNA led by Jeremy in collaboration with the Zhao lab at MSKCC is published!
November 8, 2022. The lab co-organizes the first LUMICKS C-Trap User Meeting at Rockefeller. We enjoyed two days of great science and social events. Great to bring the community together to share experiences and ideas!
October 26, 2022. LSX gives a webinar in Chinese organized by LUMICKS, apparently attracting over 4,000 audiences.
October 19, 2022. LSX receives a Vilcek Prize in Creative Promise in Biomedical Science. The lab had a fun film shooting day with the Vilcek Foundation and SmartPants Studio. Turns out we are not too shabby actors.
February 21, 2021. Our lab is attending the virtual biophysical society annual meeting. Sai is awarded a virtual travel grant. Gabriella is elected student representative of the Nanoscale Approaches to Biology subgroup.
March 25, 2021. The review article that LSX contributes to on the principles, designs, and applications of optical tweezers in single-molecule biophysics is published (PrimeView)! We dedicate this Primer to the memory of Arthur Ashkun whose ingenious invention of optical tweezers has transformed the field of single-molecule biophysics.
March 23, 2021. Rochelle receives an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Gabriella receives an Honorable Mention. Congratulations!!
March 10, 2021. Rachel successfully defended her thesis “Single-molecule Investigation of Chromatin Associated Factors in Genome Organization & Epigenetic Maintenance”! Congratulations to the first PhD from our lab! Check out Rachel’s submission to the Dance Your PhD Contest.
July 14, 2021. A Q-trap instrument shared with the O’Donnell lab is installed in our optical suite. We can now manipulate multiple DNA molecules at once!
June 17, 2021. Gabriella, Jeremy, and Rochelle each passed their research project exam with flying colors in the past months!
June 1, 2021. Our collaborative work with Bin Zhang’s lab at MIT on Polycomb-mediated DNA looping is published!
April 26, 2021. LSX speaks at the Chemical Biology Special Interest Group of the virtual ASBMB annual meeting.
August 1 2021. Htet Ng, a Yallow Fellow at Hunter College, joins the lab as a research volunteer. Welcome!
July 20, 2021. The lab enjoys a retreat to Hampton Bays.
December 1, 2021. Yukun Wang joins the lab as a postdoctoral associate. Welcome, Yukun!
September 30, 2021. At long last, a mask-less group photo at the gorgeous River campus. And a fun version taken at the amphitheater!
2021
December 14, 2021. Sai’s going-away party, featuring snow-flakes and lots of good wishes.
December 3, 2021. LSX gives a Friday Lecture “Machines on Genes: A Single-Molecule Perspective” at Caspary Auditorium. The first lab t-shirt!
May 27, 2020. The lab stays productive during the closedown. Ling and Michael's work in collaboration with Jue Chen's lab on multidrug resistance protein 1 is published at eLife! We combine single-molecule and cryo-EM techniques to figure out the kinetic cycle of this important drug transporter. Check out the paper here.
March 18, 2020. Like so much else, the lab goes on hiatus amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
February 18, 2020. Rachel wins a travel award AND a best poster award at the Biophysical Society annual meeting!
February 15, 2020. LSX gives a Nanoscale subgroup talk at the Biophysical Society annual meeting at San Diego.
February 10, 2020. TPCB student Gabriella Chua starts her rotation. Welcome!
January 31, 2020. Our research program is featured in the RU Seek magazine: "Physics is the new biology".
July 29, 2020. LSX receives the 2020 Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research.
July 6, 2020. RU starts Phase III operation. Lab activities are gradually ramping up while everyone's safety and health remain top priorities.
July 1, 2020. Jeremy Chang (Tri-I MD-PhD) and Gabby Chua (TPCB) both decide to take their talents to our lab and conduct their graduate research. Welcome on board!
June 16, 2020. A group meeting is dedicated to discussing diversity and inclusion in response to the sweeping BLM movement across the country and campus.
June 1, 2020. RU restarts Phase II of limited lab operation. NYC is staying strong.
May 29, 2020. It would be better to meet in person, but still good to see the smiley faces :-)
September 15, 2020. Rochelle Shih decides to become a joint PhD student between our lab and the Funabiki lab. Welcome!
August 21, 2020. The lab throws a baby shower for Michael. Congratulations on the new family addition!
November 2, 2020. LSX gives a Monday Lecture "Unraveling the World of Chromatin: May the Force Be With You".
November 1, 2020. Michael starts his new position at Syros Pharmaceuticals as Senior Scientist, Biochemistry & Biophysics. Congratulations and best of luck in your future endeavors!
September 24, 2020. Our collaborative work with the Alushin lab on force sensing by actin-binding proteins is published at eLife! This is the first time that we pull on cytoskeletal filaments and it is equally rewarding! Check out the paper and an RU news story.
September 21, 2020. We say farewell to Xiaocong before she returns to home institution to complete her PhD. Best of luck!
2020
December 17, 2020. Our collaborative work with the Kapoor Lab on the SARS-CoV-2 replicative helicase nsp13 is published at Biophysical Journal! The single-molecule data unveil unusual characteristics of the viral enzyme's RNA unwinding behavior that could be exploited for drug targeting.
November 18, 2020. Our paper on PRC2-chromatin interaction is published online at PNAS. We use single-molecule force spectroscopy to probe the mechanical fingerprints of large chromatin-associated complexes. Congrats to Rachel and the co-authors at RU, Princeton and MIT for a wonderful collaboration!
November 5, 2020. The lab enjoys a socially distanced picnic at Central Park. The sky is blue, grass is green, leaves are color of fall.
2019
December 13, 2019. The second C-Trap instrument is delivered. The last empty room of the lab is finally occupied.
September 10, 2019. LSX co-organizes the RU graduate course Biochemical and Biophysical Methods, which spans two semesters in Fall 2019 and Winter 2020. Check out the course syllabi of Part I and II.
September 3, 2019. Sai's work on Sox2-Oct4 cooperativity is published at Cell Reports! Turns out that not all pioneer transcription factors are born equal. Thanks to Li Zhao's group for their contribution. Check out the paper here.
July 25, 2019. Michael's work on the CMG helicase is published at Cell! This is a truly fun collaboration between us and Mike O'Donnell's group. Read the news coverage by RU, BioArt, and LUMICKS.
July 15, 2019. Xiangwu's work on bacterial transcription is online at Nature Microbiology! We developed an RNA-seq method to sequence full-length transcripts in bacteria. Check out the paper, a blog post, and a news report.
June 28, 2019. Our review article on DNA mechanics and DNA-based machines appears online. May the force be with you!
June 24, 2019. The lab welcomes three new members: rotation graduate student Brandon Malone, SURF student Dorothy Cheng, and SSRP student Rachel Leong. Enjoy the summer!
March 20, 2019. Our collaborative work with Yael David's lab at MSKCC on histone glycation is published in Nature Communications. Read the news coverage here.
March 11, 2019. LSX presents our Type-III CRISPR work at the Cell Press LabLinks symposium on Single-Molecule Technologies for Proteins and Nucleic Acids held at RU.
February 18, 2019. Sarah Cai starts her rotation in the lab. Welcome!
January 30, 2019. LSX gives a Molecular Biophysics seminar at New York University School of Medicine.
January 1, 2019. LSX receives a Sinsheimer Scholar Award from the Alexandrine and Alexander L. Sinsheimer Foundation.
September 6, 2018. LSX visits the capital and gives a talk at Georgetown University.
September 4, 2018. Matt Reynolds, a first-year student from the David Rockefeller Graduate Program, starts his rotation. Welcome!
August 1, 2018. Xiaocong Cao, a visiting student from USTC, starts in the lab. Welcome!
July 30, 2018. LSX attends and gives a talk at the 2018 Telluride workshop on Chromatin Structure and Dynamics.
June 28, 2018. LSX gives seminars at LUMICKS headquarter and TU Delft during a trip to the Netherlands.
March 22, 2018. LSX is invited to HKUST to speak at the IAS Focused Program on Mechanisms of Gene Transcription and Its Regulation.
February 7, 2018. Ling is awarded a Rockefeller University Women & Science Postdoctoral Fellowship. Congratulations!
2018
November 29, 2018. Our first paper is online! Ling's work on type III CRISPR-Cas immunity is published in Molecular Cell. We describe how this fascinating bacterial immune system distinguishes self from nonself. Read the RU news story and a cartoonist's version.
October 2, 2018. LSX receives an NIH Director's New Innovator Award.
October 2, 2018. Congratulations to Arthur Ashkin for winning the Nobel Prize for the invention of optical tweezers! We should also acknowledge other pioneers like Steve Block and Carlos Bustamante for driving the application of this amazing tool to biological systems. Read more here.
September 24, 2018. Tuan passes his TRP exam. The lab celebrates it, among other things, with lamb skewers and mooncakes.
May 17, 2017. Sai and Michael both give nice talks at the 10-year anniversary of Anderson Cancer Center Retreat at Tarrytown, while LSX is brutally ridiculed along with other HOLs by students and postdocs.
May 1, 2017. Congratulations to Lily and Enze on going to graduate school! Lily accepts an offer from University of Chicago Biophysics. Enze is admitted by the Physics Department at UC Berkeley.
April 15, 2017. LSX is named a Kimmel Scholar by the Sidney Kimmel Foundation!
April 1, 2017. LSX receives the Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award from the March of Dimes!
March 1, 2017. LSX thanks the Quadrivium Foundation for supporting our research!
January 25, 2017. The lab celebrates Chinese New Year by enjoying a big meal at Flushing.
July 14, 2017. Lingqing Ye completes her summer internship and returns to her college study at University of East Anglia, UK.
July 7, 2017. Tuan Nguyen, a Tri-I MD-PhD student, starts his rotation in the lab. Welcome!
July 1, 2017. Congratulations to Michael on receiving a postdoctoral fellowship from the Anderson Cancer Center!
June 22, 2017. Rachel passes her first Thesis Research Proposal meeting. Good job Rachel!
June 1, 2017. Dayi Li, a master student at Fordham University, starts his internship in our lab. Welcome, Dayi!
May 20, 2017. The lab says farewell to Lily and celebrates her time at Rockefeller. Picnic at Central Park.
October 23, 2017. Tuan returns to the lab and officially starts his PhD training. MD can also mean "Doctor of Molecules", apparently.
October 10, 2017. LSX gives a lecture at the single-molecule workshop hosted in our lab, organized by LUMICKS.
August 23, 2017. Alushin/Funabiki/Kapoor/Liu/Zhao Lab BBQ to celebrate the end of summer/beginning of fall.
2017
December 4, 2017. LSX speaks at the Genome Integrity Discussion Group held at The New York Academy of Sciences.
November 20, 2017. The lab and families gather in the Liu apartment to celebrate Thanksgiving. A 18-lb turkey is NOT pardoned.
January 1, 2016. The Liu Lab officially launches! We are located on the B & C levels in the Smith Hall. Welcome to visit!
June 24, 2015. LSX is hired as an assistant professor and head of laboratory at the Rockefeller University.
May 9, 2016. Michael Wasserman migrates all the way from Weill Cornell and joins the lab as a postdoctoral associate. Welcome, Michael!
April 13, 2016. Thanks to the Anderson Cancer Center's generous support, the lab enjoys a three-day retreat at Tarrytown, NY.
April 1, 2016. The lab welcomes two new members. Ling Wang joins as a postdoctoral associate. Rachel Leicher starts her rotation. We are approaching a critical mass of crowdedness and, hopefully, productivity.
March 1, 2016. Sai receives a Tri-Institutional Starr Stem Cell Scholars Fellowship. Congratulations!
February 22, 2016. Three new members are introduced to the lab. Xiangwu Ju and Sai Li join as postdoctoral associates. Virapat (Vincent) Kieuvongngam joins as a rotation student. Welcome!
February 2, 2016. LSX receives a Monique Weill-Caulier Career Scientist Award from the Hirschl/Weill-Caulier Trust. Thanks for the support!
January 23, 2016. As winter storm Jonas hits NYC, the lab is finally in preliminary working order. Stay warm and safe!
August 1, 2016. Our work is now supported by a Proof of Concept Award kindly provided by the Robertson Therapeutic Development Fund!
July 5, 2016. We are pleased to welcome Lily Delalande to our lab as a research assistant, and Lukas Fuentes and Zhi Zheng as summer undergraduate researchers. Summer fun begins!
July 1, 2016. Congratulations to Xiangwu for receiving a C. H. Li Memorial Scholar Fund Award!
June 27, 2016. After her rotation, Rachel decides to join the lab as our first graduate student. Welcome back, Rachel!
June 1, 2016. Two microscopes are up and running: a total-internal-reflection fluorescence microscope (left) and a miniTweezers optical trap (right). Let there be light.
October 5, 2016. The lab goes to the RU Chemical & Structural Biology Retreat at Briarcliff Manor, NY. Xiangwu and Ling both give talks. Rachel also presents a poster. Good job everyone!
August 12, 2016. We have our first lab party to celebrate Lukas's completion of summer research. The originally planned BBQ ends up indoors air-conditioned thanks to the powerful New York summer heat.
2016
November 15, 2016. Thank you for all the wisdom you shared with us, Nacho. Wish the Physical Chemistry of Nucleic Acids is just as fascinating on the other side of the world. (Ignacio Tinoco dies at age 85.)
November 14, 2016. LSX gives a Monday Lecture at Rockefeller and introduces our research program to the campus.
November 7, 2016. LSX gives a seminar to the Biophysics program at University of Maryland, hosted by Dr. Chris Jarzynski.
November 4, 2016. A correlative optical tweezers-fluorescence microscope, manufactured by LUMICKS, is installed in our lab. We can now watch and pull at the same time. Life is good.