James (Zhe J.) Liu, PhD is a Group Leader at the Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Tsinghua University, China, and earned an MS in structural biology and biophysics from Tsinghua University’s School of Medicine. He later completed his PhD in molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied transcriptional regulation of stem cell pluripotency under the mentorship of Robert Tjian.

Following his doctoral studies, Liu joined Janelia as an independent fellow from 2012 to 2015, collaborating with the Transcription Imaging Consortium to develop advanced imaging methods for studying molecular dynamics in live cells. In 2015, he established his own laboratory, focusing on developing precision imaging tools to investigate gene and genome function across various molecular and cellular scales. His research integrates single-molecule imaging, 3D super-resolution genome imaging, and deep-tissue spatial omics to study gene regulation in development, adult tissues, and disease.

Fun fact: James is an avid fly fisherman, a skill he picked up from his PhD advisor, Robert Tjian, while fishing in the pond next to the landscape building at Janelia Research Campus.