Dr. Mei Hong
David A. Leighty (1970) Professor of Chemistry
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
170 Albany Street
Cambridge, MA, 02139
617-253-5521
meihong@mit.edu
My research centers on the development and application of solid-state NMR spectroscopy to elucidate the structure and dynamics of biological molecules. I have a long-standing interest in membrane proteins involved in infectious diseases. These include influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 ion channels, HIV-1 fusion proteins, bacterial multidrug-resistance transporters, and antimicrobial peptides. I am also interested in the structure and dynamics of amyloid proteins. We are currently focusing on the microtubule-associated protein tau, which aggregates in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease and a number of other neurodegenerative diseases. In addition to proteins, my group has pioneered the studies of plant cell walls using 2D and 3D magic-angle-spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy.
To elucidate the structures and dynamics of these complex biomolecular systems, I develop innovative solid-state NMR techniques such as 19F NMR experiments to measure nanometer distances, spin polarization transfer experiments to probe protein-water and protein-ligand interactions, and multidimensional dipolar and quadrupolar NMR experiments to investigate the geometry of molecular motion.
EDUCATION
1992 – 1996 Ph.D. Chemistry, University of California Berkeley
1990 – 1992 B. A. Chemistry, summa cum laude, Mount Holyoke College
POSITIONS
2024 – David A. Leighty (1970) Professor of Chemistry, MIT
2014 – 2023 Professor of Chemistry, MIT
2007 – 2010 John D. Corbett Professor, Iowa State University (ISU)
2004 – 2014 Professor of Chemistry, ISU
2002 – 2004 Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, ISU
1999 – 2002 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, ISU
1997 – 1999 Research Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst
1996 – 1997 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, MIT
AWARDS & HONORS
2024 Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
2024 Hilda Roderick Lecturer, Berea College
2023 Protein Society Christian Anfinsen Award
2021 American Chemical Society Nakanishi prize
2018 Nirit and Michael Shaoul Fellow, Sackler Institute of Advanced Studies, Tel Aviv University
2016 Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR)
2016 Edmond de Rothschild lecturer, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Paris
2014 Günther Laukien Prize, Experimental NMR Conference
2013 Award for Outstanding Career Achievement in Research, Iowa State University (ISU)
2012 Protein Society Irving Sigal Young Investigator Award
2010 Founders Medal, International Council on Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems
2010 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
2007 John D. Corbett Professorship
2007 Mid-Career Research Award, ISU
2006 Agnes Fay Morgan Research Award, Iota Sigma Pi
2004 Mary Lyon Award, Mount Holyoke College
2003 Early Achievement in Research/Artistic Creativity Award, ISU
2003 Pure Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society
2002 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, Sloan Foundation
2001 CAREER Award, National Science Foundation
2000 Research Innovation Award, Research Corporation
1999 Beckman Young Investigator Award, Beckman Foundation
1998 POWRE Award, National Science Foundation
1997 National Institute of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship
1992 American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award, Mount Holyoke College
PUBLICATIONS
By summer 2024, ~245 publications, with a Web of Science cumulative h-index of 67.
