Rate My Professor Wenqi Wang

Wenqi Wang is a Professor in the Department of Developmental and Cell Biology at the University of California, Irvine, Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences. He obtained his B.S. degree in Biochemistry from Nanjing University in 2004 and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2009 under the supervision of Kan Liao. Wang conducted his postdoctoral training from 2009 to 2014 in Dr. Junjie Chen’s laboratory at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Prior to his faculty position at UCI, he served as an Instructor in the Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology at MD Anderson from 2014 to 2016. He joined UCI in 2016 as an Assistant Professor, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2021, and became Professor in 2025.

The research in Wang’s laboratory investigates signaling networks underlying tissue homeostasis and organ size control, as well as their dysregulation in tumorigenesis. The lab focuses on the Hippo signaling pathway, a critical regulator of proliferation, regeneration, tissue homeostasis, and organ size that integrates diverse growth signals including growth factors, energy status, cell-cell contact, and mechanical cues. Dysregulation of the Hippo pathway is frequently observed in human cancers, positioning it as a key therapeutic target. Wang’s group employs proteomic approaches to define protein-protein interaction networks for Hippo pathway components and related protein families involved in growth control and cancer. Key publications include "Functional annotation of the Hippo pathway somatic mutations in human cancers" (Nature Communications, 2024), "The Hippo pathway noncanonically drives autophagy and cell survival in response to energy stress" (Molecular Cell, 2023), "The Hippo pathway kinases LATS1 and LATS2 attenuate cellular responses to heavy metals through phosphorylating MTF1" (Nature Cell Biology, 2022), "MAP4K Interactome Reveals STRN4 as a Key STRIPAK Complex Component in Hippo Pathway Regulation" (Cell Reports, 2020), "Elucidation of WW domain ligand binding specificities in the Hippo pathway reveals STXBP4 as YAP inhibitor" (EMBO Journal, 2019), "Regulation of the Hippo Pathway by Phosphatidic Acid-Mediated Lipid-Protein Interaction" (Molecular Cell, 2018), and "AMPK modulates Hippo pathway activity to regulate energy homeostasis" (Nature Cell Biology, 2015).