Xiaoliang Sunney Xie
Encyclopedia
Xiaoliang Sunney Xie is the Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University
. Xie is considered a founding father of single-molecule enzymology. He has also made major contributions to biomedical imaging by developing CARS microscopy.
Xie received a B.S. in chemistry from Peking University
, followed by his Ph.D. in 1990 from the University of California at San Diego
. He conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago
and in 1992 joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
, where he later became a Chief Scientist. In 1999, he became the first full professor at Harvard University from the People's Republic of China.
Among the first to conduct fluorescence studies of single molecules at room temperature in the early 1990s, his research group has contributed to the emergence of the field of single-molecule biophysical chemistry and its application to biology. His work focuses on single-molecule enzymology, protein conformational dynamics, and the study of gene expression and regulation in living cells. His group also pioneered CARS microscopy and stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, sensitive biomedical imaging techniques that allow 3D imaging of live cells and organisms based on vibrational spectroscopy.
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Xie is considered a founding father of single-molecule enzymology. He has also made major contributions to biomedical imaging by developing CARS microscopy.
Xie received a B.S. in chemistry from Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
, followed by his Ph.D. in 1990 from the University of California at San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
. He conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and in 1992 joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is one of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, managed by the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The main campus of the laboratory is in Richland, Washington....
, where he later became a Chief Scientist. In 1999, he became the first full professor at Harvard University from the People's Republic of China.
Among the first to conduct fluorescence studies of single molecules at room temperature in the early 1990s, his research group has contributed to the emergence of the field of single-molecule biophysical chemistry and its application to biology. His work focuses on single-molecule enzymology, protein conformational dynamics, and the study of gene expression and regulation in living cells. His group also pioneered CARS microscopy and stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, sensitive biomedical imaging techniques that allow 3D imaging of live cells and organisms based on vibrational spectroscopy.
Honors and awards
- 2011: Member of the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
- 2009: Ernest Orlando Lawrence AwardErnest Orlando Lawrence AwardThe Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award was established in 1959 in honor of a scientist who helped elevate American physics to the status of world leader in the field....
- 2008: Fellow of the American Physical Society
- 2008: Berthold Leibinger ZukunftspreisBerthold Leibinger ZukunftspreisThe Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis is an international award for excellent research on the application or generation of laser light...
for Applied Laser Technology - 2008: Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
- 2007: Willis E. LambWillis LambWillis Eugene Lamb, Jr. was an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1955 together with Polykarp Kusch "for his discoveries concerning the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum". Lamb and Kusch were able to precisely determine certain electromagnetic properties of the electron...
Award for Laser Sciences and Quantum Optics - 2006: Fellow of Biophysical SocietyBiophysical SocietyThe Biophysical Society is an organization consisting of over 9,000 researchers in academia, government, and industry. Based in the USA, its international membership has grown to about 1/3 of the total. Founded in 1957 by Ernest C...
- 2006: Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
- 2004: National Institutes of Health Director's Pioneer AwardNational Institutes of Health Director's Pioneer AwardNational Institutes of Health Director's Pioneer Award is a research initiative first announced in 2004 designed to support individual scientists' biomedical research...
- 2003: Raymond and Beverly Sackler PrizeSackler PrizeThe Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize is a $40,000 prize in the disciplines of either physics or chemistry awarded by Tel Aviv University each year for young scientists who have made outstanding and fundamental contributions in their fields. It was created through the generosity of...
in the Physical Sciences - 1996: CoblentzWilliam CoblentzWilliam Weber Coblentz was an American physicist notable for his contributions to infrared radiometry and spectroscopy.-Early life, education, and employment:...
Award
Selected Literature
- C.W. Freudiger, W. Min, B.G. Saar, S.Lu, G.R. Holtom, C. He, J.C. Tsai, J.X. Kang, X.S. Xie: "Label-Free Biomedical Imaging with High Sensitivity by Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy." Science 322, 1857 (2008).
- P.J. Choi, L. Cai, K. Frieda, X.S. Xie: "A Stochastic Single-Molecule Event Triggers Phenotype Switching of a Bacterial Cell." Science 322, 442 (2008).
- J. Elf, G. Li, X.S. Xie: "Probing Transcription Factor Dynamics at the Single-Molecule Level in a Living Cell." Science 316, 1191 (2007).
- J. Yu, J. Xiao, X. Ren, K. Lao, X.S. Xie: "Probing Gene Expression in Live Cells, One Protein Molecule at a Time." Science 311, 1600 (2006).
- L. Cai, N. Friedman, X.S. Xie: "Stochastic Protein Expression in Individual Cells at the Single Molecule Level." Nature 440, 358 (2006).
- B.P. English, W. Min, A.M. van Oijen, K. T. Lee, G. Luo, H. Sun, B.J. Cherayil, S.C. Kou, X.S. Xie: "Ever-fluctuating single enzyme molecules: Michaelis-Menten equation revisited." Nat. Chem. Bio. 2, 87 (2006).
- H. Yang, G. Luo, P. Karnchanaphanurach, T.-M. Louie, I. Rech,S. Cova, L. Xun, X.S. Xie: "Protein Conformational Dynamics Probed by Single-molecule Electron Transfer." Science 302, 262 (2003).
- A. Zumbusch, G.R. Holtom, X.S. Xie: "Vibrational Microscopy Using Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering." Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4142 (1999).
- H.P. Lu, L. Xun, X.S. Xie: "Single-Molecule Enzymatic Dynamics." Science 282, 1877 (1998).
- X.S. Xie, R.C. Dunn: "Probing Single Molecule Dynamics." Science 265, 361 (1994).