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10/11/2013

Gao referenced in chemistry Nobel Prize background

In the scientific background for the 2013 Nobel Prize in chemistry, it was underscored that Professor Jiali Gao has made an important contribution to the progress of multiscale modeling.

Gao is a theoretical and computational biochemist whose work focuses on the structure and properties of macromolecular systems. This includes the understanding of protein dynamics and enzyme catalysis, biomolecular interactions and assembly, and biophysical systems biology, as well as the development of quantum and classical mechanical methodologies. The major focus of his research in the past few years has been the understanding of enzyme catalysis based on analyses of the structure and energetics from dynamics simulations in which quantum mechanics is used both to represent the potential energy surface and to treat the nuclear tunneling. He is currently pioneering an effort to develop a fully quantal force field for simulation and modeling of materials, fluids, and biomacromolecules. He recently introduced the concept of analytical coarse-graining of macromolecular particles for the study of diffusion and assembly of proteins and nucleic acids in cells.

Gao studied at Beijing University, and his professional career follows graduate work at Purdue, postdoctoral research at Harvard, and faculty positions at the State University of New York at Buffalo and the University of Minnesota. He is currently L.I. Smith Professor of Chemistry. He is a recipient of the Diract Medal from the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists, the Albert Hofmann Centennial Prize and an IBM Faculty Fellowship.

Read the information. Gao is referenced on page 8 of the document.