Prof. Wang's lab is a single molecule biophysics lab. Prof. Wang's research interests focus on elucidating biological mechanisms at the molecular level using single molecule fluorescence imaging techniques. The imaging techniques involve labeling single molecules of interest with a light-activating fluorescence-tag. By capturing the pathways of the light-induced fluorescent molecule in solution or in a cell with a single-photon sensitive camera, the molecule's biological behaviors are revealed. Current biological systems of interest include gene expression and control mechanisms, where the kinetics and pathways of single gene regulator proteins and the their interactions with DNA are investigated in vitro and in vivo, and oligomerization kinetics of EGF receptors in live cells. To extract quantitative information from the frequently convoluted images of the molecules, novel analytical methods are constantly being explored and developed; to increase the versatility of the single molecule fluorescence techniques, alternative fluorescence labels are frequently being tested via close collaborations with biochemistry groups.

Prof. Wang seeks motivated graduate students and postdocs to join the group.
Participations of undergraduate students are welcome.

• Y. M. Wang, E. C. Cox and R. Austin, "Single molecule measurements of repressor protein 1D diffusion on DNA," Phys. Rev. Lett., 97, 048302, (2006).
• Y. M. Wang, J. Tegenfeldt, W. Reisner, R. Riehn, Xiao-Juan Guan, Ling Guo, Ido Golding, E. C. Cox, J. Sturm and R. Austin, "Single-molecule studies of repressor-DNA interactions show long-range interactions," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 102, 9796-9801, (2005).

2002	Ph. D., University of California, Berkeley, Physics
1996	B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, Physics

2006-	Assistant Professor, Washington University
2005, fall	Lecturer, Physics Department, Princeton University
2002-2006	Postdoctoral researcher, Physics Department, Princeton University