Jian Yang

Dr. Jian Yang is an established investigator in the ion channel field and has made important contributions in the areas of ion channel structure, function, regulation, disease mechanisms, and the discovery of natural compounds targeting ion channels. He is Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at Columbia University, where he was a faculty member from 1997 to 2024. In 2024, Dr. Yang joined the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART) as a Senior Principal Investigator, where he established the Laboratory of Neurological Diseases and Drug Development. Dr. Yang received his bachelor’s degree from Peking University, his master’s degree from the Shanghai Brain Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle. He subsequently carried out postdoctoral training at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Yang is a Sloan Research Fellow, McKnight Scholar, EJLB Scholar, and an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association. He has served on the editorial boards of Biophysical Journal, The Journal of Physiology (London), Channels, and Zoological Research. His current research focuses on elucidating the structural basis of ion channel function, uncovering the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying channelopathies, and developing novel natural product–based therapeutics targeting ion channels.