I obtained my PhD in 1995 from the University of Chicago under the mentorship of Prof. Keith Moffat. I am currently a professor of biochemistry at University of Illinois Chicago. My research is focused on structures, dynamics and molecular mechanisms of photoreceptors using crystallography and cryoEM. By elucidating the light-induced structural responses in naturally occurring light-sensitive proteins, we aim to gain fundamental understanding of photochemistry and photobiology in living organisms and to translate such mechanistic understanding to biotechnology and biomedical appilcations.