UIC chemists honored for breakthroughs in biophysics and disease research

Two University of Illinois Chicago faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences have received significant recognitions from the Biophysical Society, one of the leading international organizations for scientists studying the physics of life.

Wonhwa Cho, Distinguished Professor of chemistry, received the 2026 Biophysical Society Award in the Biophysics of Health and Disease. The society recognized Cho for his mechanistic elucidation of lipid-protein interactions that are foundational to lipid-targeted drug discovery. His research has advanced the understanding of how lipids regulate cellular processes and how those mechanisms can be targeted in the fight against cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

Huan-Xiang Zhou, LAS Endowed Chair in the Natural Sciences and professor of chemistry and physics, was elected a 2026 Fellow of the Biophysical Society, a distinction reserved for scientists whose work has made a lasting impact on the field. Zhou is internationally recognized for combining theory, computation and experimentation to elucidate how proteins interact, how crowded cellular environments influence these interactions and how intrinsically disordered proteins form biomolecular condensates - key processes that impact cellular function and disease.

"These honors support the extraordinary scholarship happening in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences," said Dean Lisa A. Freeman. "Professors Cho and Zhou exemplify the kind of groundbreaking, interdisciplinary research that advances science and reflects UIC's mission. We are proud to celebrate their success and the visibility it brings to our institution."

Cho and Zhou will be recognized during the Biophysical Society's 70th Annual Meeting, Feb. 21-25, 2026, in San Francisco.

- Jonathan Cecero, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences