Research interests are focused on the interface of synthetic biology and synthetic chemistry, and range from discovery of novel industrial enzymes to understanding of biocatalytic reaction mechanisms, and the integration of biocatalysis into complex organic synthesis.

2012 – present, Director, Tianjin Engineering Research Center of Biocatalytic Technology

2012 -2014, Deputy Director, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Science

2009 – 2021, Deputy Director, National Engineering Laboratory of Industrial Enzymes

2008 - present, Principal Investigator, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Science

2004 - 2009, Research Professor, Department of Chemistry, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA

2000 - 2004, Staff Scientist and Group Leader, BioCatalytics, Inc., Pasadena, CA, USA

1996 - 1999, Research Associate, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

1994 - 1996, Postdoctoral Associate, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA

1993 - 1994, Research Associate, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

1993, PhD, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

1990, MS, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

1987, BS, University of Science and Technology of China

1. H. Zhang, X. Chen, T. Lv, J. Feng, X. Liu, P. Yao, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, “Engineering a Carbonyl Reductase to Simultaneously Increase Activity toward Bulky Ketone and Isopropanol for Dynamic Kinetic Asymmetric Reduction via Enzymatic Hydrogen Transfer”, ACS Catalysis, 2023, 13, 9960–9968. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.3c01569 

2. Y. Liu, L. Zhu, Y. Cui, A. Roosta, J. Feng, X. Chen, P. Yao, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, “Photoredox/Enzymatic Catalysis Enabling Redox-Neutral Decarboxylative Asymmetric C–C Coupling for Asymmetric Synthesis of Chiral 1,2-Amino Alcohols”, JACS Au, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.3c00366

3. T. Lv, J. Feng, X. Chen, Y. Luo, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, Y. Ma, “Creating novel amine dehydrogenases for precise synthesis of single stereoisomer of β-amino ketones with an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter via desymmetric reductive amination”, ACS Catalysis, 2023, 13, 5053-5061. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.3c00226 

4. Y. Li, N. Hu, Z. Xu, Y. Cui, J. Feng, P. Yao, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, Y. Ma “Asymmetric Synthesis of N-Substituted 1,2-Amino Alcohols via One-Pot Sequential Enzymatic Hydroxymethylation and Asymmetric Reductive Amination”, Angewandt Chemie, International Edition, 2022, 61, e202116344 https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202116344

5. N. Liu, L. Wu, J. Feng, X. Sheng, J. Li, X. Chen, J. Li, W. Liu, J. Zhou, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, “Crystal Structures and Catalytic Mechanism of L-erythro-3,5-Diaminohexanoate Dehydrogenase and Rational Engineering for Asymmetric Synthesis of β-Amino Acids”, Angewandt Chemie, International Edition, 2021, 60, 10203–10210 https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202017225.

6. P. Yao, J. R. Marshall, Z. Xu, J. Lim, S. J. Charnock, D. Zhu, N. J. Turner, “Asymmetric Synthesis of N-Substituted α-Amino Esters from α-Ketoesters via Imine Reductase-Catalyzed Reductive Amination”, Angewandt Chemie, International Edition, 2021, 60, 8717–8721 https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202016589 .

7. S. Yu, J. Li, P. Yao, J. Feng, Y. Cui, J. Li, X. Liu, Q. Wu, J. Lin, D. Zhu, “Inverting the enantiopreference of nitrilase-catalyzed desymmetric hydrolysis of prochiral dinitriles by reshaping the binding pocket with a “mirror image” strategy”, Angewandt Chemie, International Edition, 2021, 60, 3679–3684.  https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202012243 (selected as Hot Paper).

8. J. Li, J. Feng, X. Chen, J. Gong, Y. Cui, H. Zhang, D. Bu, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, “Structure-Guided Directed Evolution of a Carbonyl Reductase Enables the Stereoselective Synthesis of (2S,3S)-2,2-Disubstituted-3-hydroxycyclopentanones via Desymmetric Reduction”, Organic Letters, 2020, 22, 3444-3448. https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.orglett.0c00892

9. N. Liu, J. Feng, R. Zhang, X. Chen, X. Li, P. Yao, Q. Wu, Y. Ma, D. Zhu, “Efficient Microbial Synthesis of Key Steroidal Intermediates from Bio-Renewable Phytosterols by Genetically Modified Mycobacterium fortuitum Strains”, Green Chemistry, 2019, 21, 4076–4083. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9gc01267b 

10. X. Chen, H. Zhang, M. A. Maria-Solano, W. Liu, J. Li, J. Feng, X. Liu, S. Osuna, R.-T. Guo, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, Y. Ma, “Efficient Reductive Desymmetrization of Bulky Prochiral 1,3-Cyclodiketone Enabled by Structure-Guided Directed Evolution of a Carbonyl Reductase”, Nature Catalysis, 2019, 2, 931-941. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-019-0347-y 

11. Q. Chen, X. Chen, J. Feng, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, Y. Ma “Improving and inverting Cb-stereoselectivity of threonine aldolase via substrate-binding-guided mutagenesis and a stepwise visual screening”, ACS Catalysis, 2019, 9, 4462-4469. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.9b00859

12. W. Lu, X. Chen, Y. Wang, J. Feng, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, “A Fungal P450 from Thanatephorus cucumeris with Novel Steroid Hydroxylation Capabilities”, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2018, 84: e00503-18.  https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00503-18 (selected as Spotlight Article by Editors).

13. X. Chen, H. Zhang, J. Feng, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, “Molecular basis for the high activity and enantioselectivity of carbonyl reductase from Sporobolomyces salmonicolor toward α-halo-acetophenones”, ACS Catalysis, 2018, 8, 3525-3531. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.8b00591

14. P. Yao, P. Cong, R. Gong, J. Li, G. Li, J. Ren, J. Feng, J. Lin, P. C. K. Lau, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, “Biocatalytic Route to Chiral 2-Substituted-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydroquinolines Using Cyclohexylamine Oxidase Muteins”, ACS Catalysis, 2018, 8, 1648-1652. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.7b03552

15. J. Ren, P. Yao, S. Yu, W. Dong, Q. Chen, J. Feng, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, “An Unprecedented Effective Enzymatic Carboxylation of Phenols”, ACS Catalysis, 2016, 5, 564-567. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.5b02529

16. D. Zhang, X. Chen, R. Zhang, P. Yao, Q. Wu, D. Zhu, “Development of β-Amino Acid Dehydrogenase for the Synthesis of β-Amino Acids via Reductive Amination of β-Keto Acids”, ACS Catalysis, 2015, 5, 2220-2224. https://doi.org/10.1021/cs5017358