The Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) elected professor of biomedical engineering Pengyu Ren, Ph.D., as a 2022 AAAS Fellow.
An AAAS Fellow election recognizes scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. It is considered one of the most prestigious honors a U.S. scientist can receive.
The Council chose Ren for: “Groundbreaking advancements in computational biomolecular engineering, particularly molecular modeling methodologies and software, and understanding of physical driving forces in molecular recognition and assembly.”
“I am honored to be recognized by AAAS, fellow scientists, and engineers. To me it is a recognition of decades of collective work by me, my students, and my coworkers,” said Ren.
At UT, Ren teaches courses focusing on Computational Biomolecular Engineering, Computational Methods for Biomedical Engineers, and Molecular Engineering.
Ren currently serves as the chair of the BME undergraduate curriculum committee.
“I enjoy working and collaborating with our students and contributing to the growth of this department. I joined UT Biomedical Engineering in early 2000 when the BME Department was in its early stages. It has been a lifetime experience working with our colleagues and students to build things up. It prides me to see our students grow at UT and move on to do great things in the world,” said Ren.
In his computational biomolecular engineering lab, students focus on research that addresses biological and medical challenges from single molecules to the genome with high-performance computing and theory.
Folding of U2/U6 snRNA using a coarse-grained model developed in the lab.
Ren’s research team studies the structure, dynamics and interactions of proteins, nucleic acids and other macromolecules. Additionally, they develop computational methods to design compounds for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Ren is also the cofounder of Qubit Pharmaceuticals, a deep physics-driven drug discovery company. Researchers use advanced simulation as well as AI-enhanced medicinal chemistry to develop novel drug candidates and innovative modes of action against challenging biomolecular targets.
“I would like to see our academic research make an impact in real life, in the realm of molecular and drug design. I’ve been teaching and practicing the theories for years. It is exciting to have the opportunity to apply them in the industry to solve real-world challenges,” said Ren.
Since 1874, the AAAS Council selected fellows for their achievements across disciplines from research, teaching, and technology; to administration in academia, industry, and government; to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public.
