Profile
Educational Background
Ph.D., Physics, Boston University, 2004
B.S., Physics, Nanjing University, 1997
Profile/About Me
Dr. Feng Ding received his BS degree in Physics from the Department of Intensive Instruction at Nanjing University (NJU) in 1997. After two years as a graduate student in the Physics Department of NJU, he joined the Center for Polymer Studies at Boston University and obtained his PhD in Physics in January 2004, under the supervision of Prof. H. Eugene Stanley. From 2004 to 2012, Dr. Ding worked with Prof. Nikolay Dokholyan at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a postdoctoral fellow (2004-2006), research associate (2006-2008), and later research assistant professor (2008-2012). Dr. Ding joined Clemson in August 2012.
Research Interests
Dr. Feng Ding is leading a multiscale biophysics lab at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, focusing on understanding the structure, dynamics and function interrelationship of biomolecules and molecular complexes. The long-term goal of the Ding research lab is to develop state-of-the-art molecular modeling methodologies and apply these computational approaches to understand the molecular mechanisms of human diseases and help design therapeutic approaches in a cost-effective manner. The current research projects in the Ding lab include understanding the fundamental interactions between engineered nanomaterials and biomolecules at the nano-bio interface for enabling nanomedicine and sustained nanotechnology, modeling molecular recognitions between small-molecule ligands and protein receptors for drug discovery, exploring anti-amyloid agents against the aggregation of islet amyloid peptides (IAPP) in type-2 diabetes, and designing nanoplasmon sensors for real-time detection of analytes, such as SARS-CoV-2 and cytokines.
Research Group (Lab)
Dr. Ding's lab is comprised of several postdoctoral fellows and graduate and undergraduate students. Most of our computer simulations are performed at the Palmetto Cluster. Working closely with experimental collaborators nationally and internationally, we combine computational and experimental approaches to solve important biological and biomedical problems.
Courses Taught
PHYS 3110/3120: Mathematical Methods in Physical Sciences I & II
PHYS 3210/3220: Mechanics I & II
PHYS 4650: Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
PHYS 8110: Mathematical Methods for Theoretical Physics
PHYS 8410: Electrodynamics I
PHYS 8750: Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Biomolecules
Selected Publications
Ten selected out of more than 180 total papers:
1. Y. Li, N. Ni, M. Lee, W. Wei, N. Andrikopoulos, A. Kakinen, T. P. Davis, Y. Song*, F. Ding*, D. T. Leong* and P. Ke*, “Endothelial leakiness elicited by amyloid protein aggregation”, Nature Communications,15, Article number: 613 (2024)
2. G. Huang, H. Tang, Y. Liu, C. Zhang, P. C. Ke, Y. Sun, F. Ding, “Direct Observation of Seeded Conformational Conversion of hIAPP In Silico Reveals the Mechanisms for Morphological Dependence and Asymmetry of Fibril Growth”, Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, (63)18: 5863–5873 (2023)
3. W. Wei, Y. Li, M. Lee, N. Andrikopoulos, S. Lin, C. Chen, D. Leong, F. Ding, Y. Song, and P. Ke, “Anionic Nanoplastic Exposure Induces Endothelial Leakiness”, Nature Communications, 13: 4757, doi:10.1038/s41467-022-32532-5 (2022)
4. G.L. Hamilton, N. Saikia, S. Basak, F.S. Welcome, F. Wu, J. Kubiak, C. Zhang, Y. Hao, C.A.M. Seidel, F. Ding*, H. Sanabria* and M.E. Bowen*, “Fuzzy Supertertiary Interactions within PSD-95 Enable Ligand Binding”, eLife, 11: e77242 (2022)
5. Y. Liu, Y. Wang, C. Tong, G. Wei, F. Ding*, Y. Sun*, “Molecular Insights into the Self-assembly of Block Copolymer Suckerin Polypeptides into Nanoconfined ?-sheets”, Small, 18(34): 2202642, doi: 10.1002/smll.202202642 (2022)
6. Y. Xing, A. Nandakumar, A. Kakinen, Y. Sun, T.P. Davis, P. C. Ke, and F. Ding, “Amyloid Aggregation under the Lens of Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation”, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 12, 368–378 (2021)
7. Y. Sun, A. Kakinen, X. Wan, N. Moriarty, C.P.J. Hunt, Y. Li, N. Andrikopoulos, A. Nandakumar, T.P. Davis, C.L. Parish, Y. Song, P. C. Ke and F. Ding, “Spontaneous Formation of beta-sheet Nano-barrels during the Early Aggregation of Alzheimer’s Amyloid Beta”, Nano Today, 38, 101125 (2021)
8. I Javed, Z Zhang, J Adamcik, N Andrikopoulos, Y Li, DE Otzen, S Lin, R Mezzenga, TP Davis, F Ding* and P Ke*, “Accelerated Amyloid Beta Pathogenesis by Bacterial Amyloid FapC”, Adv Sci, 7, 2001299 (2020) – Featured as the cover article
9. P. C. Ke, E. H. Pilkington, Y. Sun, I. Javed, A. Kakinen, G. Peng, F. Ding, T. P. Davis, “Mitigation of Amyloidosis with Nanomaterials”, Advanced Materials, 32:e1901690 (2020) – Featured as the cover article
10. I Javed, G Peng, Y Xing, T Yu, M Zhao, A Kakinen, A Faridi, CL Parish, F Ding*, TP Davis*, P Ke* and S Lin*, “Inhibition of Amyloid Beta Toxicity in Zebrafish with A Chaperone-Gold Nanoparticle Dual Strategy”, Nature Communications, 10, 3780 (2019)
Selected Talks
1. F. Ding, "Mitigating Amyloid Aggregation and Cytotoxicity", Bernard B. Brodie Lectureship in Pharmacology Seminar Series, 2022 (Invited Seminar, November 2022)
2. F. Ding, "Mitigating Amyloid Aggregation and Cytotoxicity", Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 2022 (Invited Seminar, November 2022)
3. F. Ding, “Aptamer-Linked Nano-Plasmon Sensor for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2”, Sustained Nanotechnology Organization 2020, Virtual Meeting (Invited Talk, November 2020)
4. F. Ding, “Discrete Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Biomolecules and Molecular Assemblies”, Fudan University, Shanghai (Department Colloquium, July 2019)
5. F. Ding, “Inhibiting Protein Amyloid Aggregation and Cytotoxicity with Nanoparticles”, AsianNano 2018, Qiangdao, China (Keynote Speaker, Oct 2018)
Honors and Awards
2024 - Wallace R. Roy Distinguished Professorship
2022 - Science Dean's Professorship
2017 - Board of Trustees Award for Excellence, CU
2017 - Outstanding Young Researcher Award, CU College of Science
2016 - NSF CAREER Award, 2016
2005 - UNC Postdoctoral Award for Research Excellence
