Kexin Zhang Lab @ Yale

Our lab will launch at the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University on 09/01/2026. Our research centers on computational imaging and discovery: we develop theories, algorithms, and software at the intersection of cryo-electron microscopy and tomography, deep learning, and structural biology, turning noisy imaging data into quantitative biological discoveries.

Research interests

We ask how cryo-electron microscopy and tomography (cryo-EM/ET) can uncover the molecular mechanisms of disease and accelerate the discovery of new therapies. Our work combines imaging physics, statistical inference, and machine learning to push cryo-EM into previously inaccessible regimes of structural biology, enabling the visualization of small, flexible, and transient molecular systems directly inside cells.

• Seeing the unseen — Can we extend cryo-EM to detect the small, flexible, and rare biomolecules that drive disease?
• Biology in the cellular context — How do dynamic molecular machines work in their native environments, and can we map them without purification?
• Cryo-EM for drug discovery — Can cryo-EM directly inform structure-based design for previously inaccessible therapeutic targets?
• Foundation models for structural biology — Can we build AI models that generalize across targets, samples, and imaging conditions?

Join us — multiple openings!

The lab is actively recruiting for Sep 2026 and beyond. We welcome applications at every career stage:

• Postdoctoral fellows — strong background/interests in cryo-EM/ET, machine learning, applied math, structural biology, or scientific computing. Please email Kexin your CV, a short research statements, and contact info for three references.
• PhD students — students interested in doing a PhD in our lab should apply through Yale’s Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) program. If you are already a Yale graduate student and would like to do a rotation with us, please email Kexin directly. We are accepting rotation students for Sep 2026!
• Master’s students — Yale master’s students interested in cryo-EM methods, ML for imaging, or scientific software are encouraged to reach out.
• Undergraduates — Yale undergraduates looking for research experience in computational imaging are welcome to inquire about projects. Email Kexin directly with your CV and a brief note about your interests.