Principal Investigator
Dr. Bingchen Yu
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University
Email: byu8@gsu.edu
Tel: 404-413-5498
Office Address: NSC 549, 46 Decatur St. SE, Atlanta, GA
Lab Address: NSC 546 and NSC 518
Awards and Fundings:
2026 NIH R61/R33
2026 GSU Ignite Awards: The Early Career Research Impact Award
2025 NIH R21
2025 NIH R35
2024 GSU Center for Diagnostics and Therapeutics (CDT) Fellow
2024 GSU Molecular Basis of Disease (MBD) Fellow
Academic Background:
2010-2014 B.S., Shandong University
2014-2018 Ph.D., Georgia State University
2019 Postdoc, Georgia State University
2020-2023 Postdoc, University of California, San Francisco
2023-present Assistant Professor, Georgia State University
Dr. Bingchen Yu graduated from Shandong University in China in 2014 with a B.S. degree in Pharmaceutical Science. He then received his Ph.D. degree in Chemistry in Georgia State University (GSU). His Ph.D. work in Prof. Binghe Wang’s lab in the Department of Chemistry at GSU focused on prodrug development for hydrogen sulfide and persulfide species. Notably, he uncovered that persulfide exhibited elevated pharmacological activities and better safety profiles than hydrogen sulfide, which contributed to a paradigm shift from hydrogen sulfide to persulfide. He also led a project on the discovery of antibiotic adjuvants, which can enhance the potency of existing antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria. After receiving his Ph.D. degree, he took a postdoctoral position with Prof. Binghe Wang to continue working on this exciting project and advance product commercialization.
In 2020, He joined Prof. Lei Wang’s lab as a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to expand his research interests. His post-doc research focused on developing covalent protein drugs, which can form a covalent and irreversible bond with their targets via genetic code expansion and a proximity-enabled reactive therapeutic (PERx) mechanism. He developed covalent nanobodies that effectively neutralized SARS-CoV-2 with increased potency and covalent sugar binders for cancer immune therapy.
In 2023, he joined the Department of Chemistry at GSU at an assistant professor. His training and expertise include organic chemistry, drug discovery, and chemical biology. He has long-term research interests in building chemical tools to probe signal transduction and develop medicine.
In his leisure time, he enjoys traveling (especially road trip), snow skiing, playing badminton, and hiking with family and friends. He is also an All-Pro Dad by training and love to spend time with his kids above all else.
Current Member
Post-doc
Zhengnan Yuan, Ph.D.
Zhengnan completed his PhD in organic chemistry in 2020. From 2021-2025, he worked at Pace Life Sciences, led scientific efforts in pharmaceutical development. He joined Yu lab in 2025.
Shengdian Huang, Ph.D.
Shengdian received a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where his doctoral research focused on the design, synthesis, and application of unique organic radical molecules. After graduation, Shengdian worked in several pharmaceutical companies for four years, gaining industry experience in drug research and development. In 2026, Shengdian joined Dr. Yu's group as a postdoctoral researcher and is eager to expand his expertise beyond organic chemistry. In his free time, he enjoys playing and watching sports, particularly basketball and soccer.
Graduate Student
Lingyun Yang
Ph.D. Student
Yang obtained her Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2014, and Master's degree in Chemistry from Georgia State University in 2017. She then obtained her Master's degree in Computer Science from Kennesaw State University in 2021. She joined the group as a Ph.D. student on Jan. 2024.
Meng Zhang
Ph.D. Student
In 2024, Meng Zhang obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Science from Shandong University. During this period, she joined Zhiyi Yu’s lab and focused on the project about Discovery of Novel SHP2-PD1 PPI Inhibitors, which is an efficient way to treat NSCLC through anti-tumor immunity. In the fall of 2024, she joined Bingchen Yu’s group as a Ph.D. student. In the future, she will do some jobs using chemical tools to expand her research on the mechanisms of disease. According to it, medicinal researchers can develop more potent drugs to keep people healthy. Her most interest region is protein-protein interaction, and she believes there will be much mysterious and valuable discovery work to be done.
Joshua Mullins
Master's Student
Joshua Mullins graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry in 2024. He then began his Master’s program at Georgia State University in the Fall of 2024 and joined the Yu lab.He is passionate about the intersection of chemistry and biology and hopes to contribute meaningful work to help improve people’s lives. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, biking, and spending time with his family.
Hank Lefkowicz
Master's Student
Hank Lefkowicz is currently an undergraduate at GSU with a major in neuroscience and a concentration in organic and biochemistry. In his free time he works for Grady hospital as an Advanced EMT and as a fabricator and artist.
Daniel Tomlinson
Master's Student
Daniel graduated from Georgia State University in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and then began his master’s in the fall. By joining the Dr. Yu research group, he wishes to further his understanding of the development of small molecules for effective treatments that are designed efficiently and made sustainably. Inspired to make a difference, Daniel began his studies as a non-traditional student following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic fascinated by witnessing the efforts to build treatments and vaccines in real-time. Daniel is a self-described creative and jack-of-all trades owing to his experiences in musical performance, craft metalwork and carpentry, as well as interests in poetry, hiking, cycling, and more.
Undergraduate Student
Vandanadevi Dasarapu
Undergraduate Student
Vandanadevi Dasarapu is currently an undergraduate at GSU, majoring in traditional chemistry. She previously volunteered at Northside Gwinnett Hospital. Her interests include medicinal chemistry.