Dr Hongyi Xu
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About
After completing a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics) degree at the University of Queensland, Hongyi pursued a PhD in materials engineering, specializing in electron microscopy and semiconductor nanomaterials. He obtained his PhD from UQ in December 2013 and received the Dean’s commendation for academic excellence as well as the best thesis of the year award from the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering. In February 2014, Hongyi began his postdoctoral fellowship (Wenner-Gren Foundation postdoc award) in Prof. Xiaodong Zou’s group at Stockholm University. In 2015, he initiated the development of MicroED for studying small organic molecules and macromolecules in Zou’s group. Hongyi became a principal investigator in 2018 to further develop and apply electron crystallography methods for studying the structures of small molecules and macromolecules. He received a starting grant from the Swedish Research Council (equivalent to ARC DECRA). In 2018, Hongyi and colleagues solved the first new protein structure using MicroED and demonstrated that it is possible to reveal protein inhibitor binding using MicroED. In 2024, he joined ANU as a senior lecturer (full time). He is also a researcher/principal investigator at Stockholm University (0.2 FTE).
Affiliations
- Xu Group, Leader
Research interests
My primary research interest is to develop electron crystallography methods for solving structures of materials, small organic molecules, peptides and macromolecules, and to answer important biological and chemical questions that cannot be addressed with existing techniques. Some of my current research projects are:
- Development of electron crystallography methods for crystal structure determination of inorganic materials, small organic molecules, peptides and macromolecules
- Making electron crystallography methods more capable, robust and available
- High throughput MicroED for phase analysis of materials and structure-based drug discovery
- In-situ crystallography and polymorphism
- Studying charge state of metal ions in metalloenzyme
- New applications of cryo-EM (SPA, cryo-ET and MicroED) and TEM
Awards and Recognition's
2024 – current, Co-editor of Acta Crystallographica Section D
2021 – current, Consultant, Commission on Electron Crystallography, IUCr
Aug 2019, 32nd European Crystallography Meeting, young scientist lecturer award
2018 – current, Secured 6 competitive research projects as principle investigator, including a starting grant from the Swedish Research Council (15% success rate)
2014-2016, Wenner-Gren Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, Sweden
2013, John Simmons Prize for best PhD thesis, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, the University of Queensland
2013, Dean’s Award for the Research Higher Degree Excellence, Graduate School, the University of Queensland
2019 – 2013, Australian Postgraduate Award, Australian Government
2005 – 2008, Dean’s Commendation for High Achievement, the University of Queensland
Location
Room 1.06, Building 137
Publications
1. Clabbers, M.T.B.; Holmes, S.; Muusse, T.W.; Vajjhala, P.; Thygesen, S.J.; Malde, A.K.; Hunter, D.J.B.; Croll, T.I.; Flueckiger, L.; Nanson, J.D.; Rahaman, H.; Aquila, A.; Hunter, M.S.; Liang, M.; Yoon, C.H.; Zhao, J.; Zatsepin, N.A.; Abbey, B.; Sierecki, E.; Gambin, Y.; Stacey, K.J.; Darmanin, C.*; Kobe, B.*; Xu, H.*; Ve, T*. Nature Communications 2021, 12, 1-7.
Title: MyD88 TIR domain higher-order assembly interactions revealed by microcrystal electron diffraction and serial femtosecond crystallography
2. Zhao, J.J.; Xu, H.*; Lebrette, H.; Carroni, M.; Taberman, H.; Högbom, M.; Zou, X.* Nature Communications 2021, 12, 1-7.
Title: A simple pressure-assisted method for MicroED specimen preparation
3. Clabbers, M.T.B*; Xu, H.* Acta Crystallographica Section D 2021, 77, 313-324.
Title: Macromolecular crystallography using microcrystal electron diffraction
4. Clabbers, M.T.B.; Fisher, Z.; Coincon, M.; Zou, X.; Xu, H.* Communications Biology 2020, 3, 417.
Title: Visualizing drug binding interactions using microcrystal electron diffraction
5. Xu, H.*; Lebrette, H.; Clabbers, M.T.B.; Zhao, J.; Griese, J.J.; Zou, X.*; Hogbom, M.* Science Advances 2019, 5, eaax4621.
Title: Solving a new R2lox protein structure by microcrystal electron diffraction