Our research group focus on the interdisciplinary field of polymer physical chemistry and biomaterials science, with a particular emphasis on the self-assembled structures and functional properties of biomacromolecular materials. We are dedicated to integrating the principles of polymer physics with materials science applications.In recent years, we have made significant progress in areas such as the design and self-assembly of polypeptide materials, the analysis of liquid–liquid phase separation（LLPS） behavior, and the development of bioinspired adhesive materials. Our research outcomes have been published in leading journals including Science, Nature Nanotechnology, Science Advances, Nature Communications, and Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS).The group leader Jing Yu has received multiple honors and awards, including the NRF Fellowship from the Singapore National Research Foundation Fellowship (2019), the Nanyang Assistant Professorship at Nanyang Technological University (2019), and the Springer Thesis Award (2013). Jing Yu is also selected for the Changjiang Scholars Program.

2003–2007 B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, China

2007–2012 Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

2013–2014 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, California Institute of Technology, USA

2014–2017 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Chicago / Argonne National Laboratory, USA

2017–2023 Assistant Professor, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

2023–2024 Associate Professor, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

2024-present Associate Professor, Tsinghua University, China

1.Biomacromolecular Self-Assembly and Polymer Physicochemical Properties.

2.Investigating the Mechanisms of Coacervate Formation and Precisely Regulating the Physicochemical Properties of the Coacervates:

3.Molecular-Level Insights into Self-Assembly via Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Undergraduate Course 《Colloids and Interfaces》

Postgraduate courses 《Intermolecular and Surface Forces》

2024–present Associate Editor, ACS Applied Polymer Materials

Selected Publications (* denotes corresponding author)

1. Jing Yu†, Nicholas E. Jackson†, Xin Xu, Blair K. Brettmann*, Marina Ruths, Juan J. de Pablo, and Matthew Tirrell. Multivalent ions induce lateral structural inhomogeneities in polyelectrolyte brushes. Science Advances, 2017, 3(12), eaao1497.

2. J. Yu†, N. E. Jackson†, X. Xu, Y. Morgenstern, Y. Kaufman, M. Ruths, J. J. de Pablo*, and M. Tirrell*. Multivalent counterions diminish the lubricity of polyelectrolyte brushes. Science, 2018, 360(6396), 1434-1438.

3. Fanfan Fu, Jilei Wang, Hongbo Zeng*, and Jing Yu*. Functional conductive hydrogels for bioelectronics. ACS Materials Letters, 2020, 2(10), 1287-1301.

4. Shujun Chen, Qi Guo, and Jing Yu*. Bio-inspired functional coacervates. Aggregate, 2022, 3(6), e293.

5. Kanagavel Deepankumar, Qi Guo, Harini Mohanram, Jessica Lim, Yuguang Mu, Konstantin Pervushin, Jing Yu*, and Ali Miserez*. Liquid-liquid phase separation of the green mussel adhesive protein pvfp-5 is regulated by the post-translated dopa amino acid. Advanced Materials, 2022, 34(25), 2103828.

6. Qi Guo, Guijin Zou, Xuliang Qian, Shujun Chen, Huajian Gao*, and Jing Yu*. Hydrogen-bonds mediate liquid-liquid phase separation of mussel derived adhesive peptides. Nature Communications, 2022, 13(1), 5771.

7. Yingchao Zhang, Yurong Tan, Jiazheng Lao, Huajian Gao, and Jing Yu*. Hydrogels for flexible electronics. ACS Nano, 2023, 17(11), 9681-93.

8. Lei Ge†, Hanyan Xu†, Xin Jiang, and Jing Yu*. Oligopeptide self-assembly: mechanisms, stimuli-responsiveness, and biomedical applications. CCS Chemistry, 2023, 6(1), 69-90.

9. Ali Miserez*, Jing Yu*, and Pezhman Mohammadi*. Protein-based biological materials: Molecular design and artificial production. Chemical Reviews, 2023, 123(5), 2049-2111.

10. Haopeng Li, Xuliang Qian, Harini Mohanram, Xiao Han, Huitang Qi, Guijin Zou, Fenghou Yuan, Ali Miserez, Tian Liu*, Qing Yang*, Huajian Gao*, and Jing Yu*. Self-assembly of peptide nanocapsules by a solvent concentration gradient. Nature Nanotechnology, 2024, 19(8), 1141-1149.

11. Yue Sun, Xi Wu, Jianguo Li, Milad Radiom, Raffaele Mezzenga, Chandra Shekhar Verma, Jing Yu, and Ali Miserez*. Phase-separating peptide coacervates with programmable material properties for universal intracellular delivery of macromolecules. Nature Communications, 2024, 15(1), 10094.

12. Xiaoxiang Wen, Jinxia Zhang, Jianing Li, Yue Li, Yuchen Shi, Xuegang Lu*, Sen Yang*, and Jing Yu*. Bio-inspired cholesteric phase cellulose composite with thermochromic and circularly polarized structural color for multilevel encryption. Advanced Functional Materials, 2024, 34(2), 2308973.

13. Georgina E. K. K. Seah, Zhi Yuan Lee, Ai Wei Gan, Xin Jiang, Sirin Kamarulzaman, Jing Yu*, and Shermin S. Goh*. Covalent adaptable networks for sustainable soft electronic sensors and actuators. Advanced Functional Materials, n/a(n/a): 2421060.

14. Jiazheng Lao, Yang Jiao, Yingchao Zhang, Hanyan Xu, Yutong Wang, Yinji Ma*, Xue Feng*, and Jing Yu*. Intrinsically adhesive and conductive hydrogel bridging the bioelectronic-tissue interface for biopotentials recording. ACS Nano, 2025, 19(8), 7755-7766.

15. Yusai Zhou, Rong Chang, Zhenyue Yang, Qi Guo, Mengyao Wang, Bo Jia, Bo Li, Bodan Deng, Yubin Ren, Huaxia Zhu, Xinyan Wang, Qinrui Wang, Han Wen, Hongjie Zhang, Jing Yu*, Yong-Xiang Chen*, and Kai Liu*. Dynamic peptide nanoframework-guided protein coassembly: advancing adhesion performance with hierarchical structure. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2025, 147(3), 2335-2349.

16. Shujun Chen, Guijin Zou, Qi Guo, Xuliang Qian, Haopeng Li, Huajian Gao*, and Jing Yu*. Extreme pH Tolerance in Peptide Coacervates Mediated by Multivalent Hydrogen Bonds for Enzyme-Triggered Oral Drug Delivery. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2025, 147(11), 9704-9715.

Books and Chapters:

1. Yu J. (2014). Adhesive Interactions of Mussel Foot Proteins (Springer Theses). Springer. 2014. ISBN-10: 3319060309 | ISBN-13: 978-3319060309.

2. Greene G.W., Lee D., Yu J., Das S., Banquy X., and Israelachvili J.N. (2013). Lubrication and Wear Protection of Natural (Bio) Systems. In: Zeng H. (eds) Polymer Adhesion, Friction, and Lubrication, John Wiley & Sons. 2013. ISBN: 978-0-470-91627-8.