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
Our research centers on the development and application of solid-state NMR spectroscopy to elucidate the structure and dynamics of biological macromolecules. We have a long-standing interest in membrane proteins involved in infectious diseases. These include influenza and SARS-CoV-2 ion channels, HIV fusion proteins, bacterial multidrug-resistance transporters and toxins, and antimicrobial peptides. A second area of major interest is the structure of amyloid peptides and proteins in neurodegeneration, with a particular focus on the microtubule-associated protein tau. In a third direction, we have pioneered the studies of plant cell wall polysaccharides using multidimensional solid-state NMR.
To elucidate the structures and dynamics of these biological macromolecules, we have introduced many new solid-state NMR tools, such as 19F NMR experiments to measure nanometer-range distances, spin polarization transfer experiments to measure protein-water, protein-lipid, protein-drug, and protein-protein interactions, dipolar and quadrupolar NMR techniques to characterize molecular motion, and selective and extensive 13C labeling for resonance assignment and structure elucidation.
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 the end of 2025, ~260 publications, with a Web of Science cumulative h-index of 71.
