Zuhang Sheng, PhD
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Lab Website
About the Speaker: Dr. Sheng received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1993 and completed his postdoctoral research with William Catterall at the University of Washington in 1996. He joined the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), NIH, as an investigator in 1997 and is now a tenured senior investigator and Chief of the Synaptic Functions Section.
Dr. Sheng’s laboratory has made significant contributions to the understanding of axonal transport of mitochondria and endo-lysosomes in both healthy and diseased neurons. His team employs a wide range of innovative approaches, including the development of neuronal cultures from adult and aging disease mouse models and live imaging of organelle transport. His mentorship has supported the development of 8 graduate students (through NIH joint Ph.D. programs), 6 HHMI-NIH research scholars, and 20 more postdoctoral fellows, with 10 former trainees securing faculty positions in academic settings.
Dr. Sheng has served as an editorial board member for the Journal of Cell Biology (JCB) and the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC), as well as an associate editor of Autophagy. He was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2016 and the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) in 2017 for his pioneering work on axonal transport and its role in maintaining neuronal homeostasis and synaptic function. Dr. Sheng received the 2021 Dr. Francisco S. Sy Award for Excellence in Mentorship at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the 2023 NIH Director’s Award for his seminal contributions to understanding axonal mitochondrial and lysosomal transport and their roles in bioenergetics, cellular homeostasis, synaptic transmission, and neural regeneration.
For Further Information, Contact: Clark Kellogg at kellogg@waisman.wisc.edu
The seminar series is funded by the John D. Wiley Conference Center Fund, the Friends of the Waisman Center and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) grant P50HD105353.
