Biography
Dr. Kang received her B.S. and M.S. in Physics from Seoul National University, South Korea, and Ph.D. in Physics from Brown University. She did her postdoctoral training in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University under the supervision of Professor Enrique De La Cruz. She joined UCF in Fall 2015 as an Assistant Professor.
- NSF CAREER Award (2020)
- UCF Women’s History Month Honor (2020)
- Advance Florida Network Women in STEM Scholar Travel Award (2020)
- NASA Florida Space Research Program Award (2019)
- UCF In-House Award (2016)
- Biophysical Society Committee for Professional Opportunities for Women Travel Award (2015)
- American Society for Cell Biology Minisymposium Speaker Award (2012)
- NSF CMMI Research and Innovation Conference Travel Award (2009)
Research Areas
- Molecular biophysics and biomechanics of cytoskeletal protein self-assembly
- Molecular mechanisms of actin-based mechano-transduction
- Biopolymer and nanofiber mechanics
Research Opportunities for Students
Information on requirements:
Currently accepting:
Graduate
Undergraduate
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- Is it Paid?
- In a lab?
- Prerequisites
- Learning materials
Publications
N. Castaneda+, J. Park+, E. H. Kang*. (2021) Regulation of actin bundle mechanics and structure by intracellular environmental factors. Frontiers in Physics, section Biophysics. (Accepted for Publication)
J. Hwang, M. Lee, E. H. Kang, W. Lee. (2021) The role of acetate in wastewater for O2 control on green algal photosystem II for photobiological hydrogen production. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 46(2), 1740-1751. doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.10.082
J. Park, M. Lee, B. Lee, N. Castaneda, L. Tetard, E. H. Kang*. (2021) Crowding tunes the organization and mechanics of actin bundles formed by crosslinking proteins. FEBS Letters, 595 (1), 26-40. doi:10.1002/1873-3468.13949 (*Highlighted as a featured article)
J. B. Heidings, B. Demosthene, T. R. Merlino, N. Castaneda, E. H. Kang*. (2020) Gelsolin-mediated actin filament severing in crowded environments. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 532 (4), 548-554. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.08.041B. Lee, N. Castaneda, M. Doomra, N. Modha, S. Santra, J. Thorn, T. Zhang, E. H. Kang, L. Tetard. (2020) Nanoscale quantification of longitudinal and transverse mechanics of bacterial bodies Applied Physics Letters. 116, 053701
Z. T. Untracht, A. Ozcan, S. Santra, E. H. Kang*. (2020) SDS-PAGE for monitoring the dissolution of Zinc Oxide bactericidal nanoparticles (Zinkicide) in aqueous solutions. ACS Omega. 5, 1402-1407.
M. Lee, E. H. Kang*. (2019) Molecular dynamics study of interactions between polymorphic actin filaments and gelsolin segment-1. PROTEINS: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics (Accepted for Publication) DOI: 10.1002/prot.25813
Q. Huang, A.K. Dalai, J. Park, A. M. Diaz, E. H. Kang, and C. H. Niu. (2019) Dynamics of water adsorption from butanol-water vapor in a biosorbent packed column. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 58(34), 15619-15627
H. Li, T.-J. Ko, M. Lee, H.-S. Chung, S. S. Han, K. H. Oh, A. Sadmani, H. Kang and Y. Jung (2019) Experimental Realization of Few Layer 2D MoS2 Membranes of Near Atomic Thickness for High Efficiency Water Desalination. Nano Letters, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b01577
S. Ghanbari, A. M. Diaz, J. Park, H. Kang, and C. H. Niu. (2019) Equilibrium and heat of water vapor adsorption on the surface of natural lignocellulose materials. Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 147, 18-29
N. Castaneda, M. Lee, H. R. Jacquez, R. R. Marracino, T. R. Merlino, H. Kang* (2019) “Actin filament mechanics and structure in crowded environments.” J. Phys. Chem. B, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b12320 (Epub ahead of print)
M. Diaz, Z. Zhang, B. Lee, F. M. Hernandez Luna, Y. Y. Li Sip, X. Lu, J. Heidings, L. Tetard, L.Zhai*, and H. Kang*. (2018) “Evaluation of Single Hydrogel Nanofiber Mechanics Using Persistence Length Analysis”, ACS Omega, 3(12), 18304-18310
S. Ghosh, J. Park, M. Thomas, E. Cruz , O. Cardona, H. Kang, T. Jewett. (2018) “Biophysical characterization of actin bundles generated by the Chlamydia trachomatis Tarp effector.” Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 500(2):423-428
N. Castaneda, T. Zheng, H. J. Rivera-Jacquez , H. J. Lee, J. Hyun, A. Balaeff, Q. Huo, H. Kang*. (2018) “Cations modulate actin bundle mechanics, assembly dynamics, and structure.” J. Phys. Chem. B, 122(14):3826-3835
W. A. Elam, W. Cao, H. Kang, A. Huehn, G. M. Hocky, E. Prochniewicz, A. C. Schramm, K. Negrón, J. Garcia, T. T. Bonello, P. W. Gunning, D. D. Thomas, G. A. Voth, C. V. Sindelar, E. M. De La Cruz. (2017) “Phosphomimetic S3D-cofilin binds but only weakly severs actin filaments.” J. Biol. Chem., 292(48):19565-19579
Z. A. O. Durer, R. M. McGillivary, H. Kang, W. A. Elam, C. L. Vizcarra, D. Hanein, E. M. De La Cruz, E. Reisler, M. E. Quinlan (2015), “Metavinculin tunes the flexibility and the architecture of vinculin induced bundles of actin filaments”, J. Mol. Biol., 427(17):2782-98.
H. Kang, M. J. Bradley, W. Cao, K. Zhou, E. E. Grintsevich, A. Michelot, C. V. Sindelar, M. Hochstrasser, and E. M. De La Cruz (2014) Site-specific cation release drives actin filament severing by vertebrate cofilin, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 111(50): 17821-17826
J. S. Graham+, B. R. McCullough+, H. Kang, W. A. Elam, W. Cao, E. M. De La Cruz (2014) Multi-platform compatible software for analysis of polymer bending mechanics, PLoS One, 9(4):e94766
H. Kang+, M. J. Bradley+, W. A. Elam, E. M. De La Cruz (2013) Regulation of actin by ion-linked equilibria, Biophysical Journal, 105:2621-2628 (Invited review article, Featured cover art)
W. A. Elam, H. Kang, E. M. De La Cruz (2013) Competitive displacement of cofilin can promote actin filament severing, Biochem Biophys Res Commun., 438(4):728-731
W. A. Elam, H. Kang, E. M. De La Cruz (2013) Biophysics of actin filament severing by cofilin, FEBS Letters, 587(8):1215-9 (Invited review article)
H. Kang, M. J. Bradley, B. R. McCullough, A. Pierre, E. E. Grintsevich, E. Reisler and E. M. De La Cruz (2012) Identification of cation binding sites on actin that drive polymerization and modulate bending stiffness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 109(42): 16923-16927
R. McCullough, E. E. Grintsevich, C.K. Chen, H. Kang , A. L. Hutchison, A. Henn, W. Cao, C. Suarez, J. L. Martiel, L. Blanchoin, E. Reisler, E. M. De La Cruz (2011) Cofilin-linked changes in actin filament flexibility promote severing, Biophysical Journal, 101(1):151-9
Suarez, J. Roland, R. Boujemaa-Paterski, H. Kang, B.R. McCullough, A-C.Reymann, C. Guérin, J-L. Martiel, E.M. De La Cruz, L. Blanchoin (2011) Cofilin tunes the nucleotide state of actin filaments and severs at bare and decorated segment boundaries, Current Biology, 21(10):862-8 (Recommended article in Faculty of 1000 Cell Biology)
H. Kang, D. S. Perlmutter, V. B. Shenoy, J. X. Tang (2010) Observation and kinematic description of long actin tracks induced by spherical beads, Biophysical Journal, 99(9), 2793-2802 (Highlighted as a Featured Article)
H. Kang, J. Wang, S. J. Longley, J. X. Tang, S. K. Shaw (2010) Relative actin nucleation promotion efficiency by WASP and WAVE proteins in endothelial cells, Biochem Biophys Res Commun., 400, 661-666
H. Kang, A. E. Carlsson, J. X. Tang (2009) Kinetic overshoot in actin network assembly induced jointly by branching and capping proteins, Physical Review E, 80 (4), 041913
H. Kang, Q. Wen, P. A. Janmey, J. X. Tang, E. Conti, F. C. MacKintosh (2009) Non-linear elasticity of stiff filament networks: Strain-stiffening, negative normal stress, and filament alignment in fibrin gels, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 113 (12), 3799-3805
J. X. Tang, H. Kang, J. Jia (2005) Intriguing self-assembly of large granules of F-actin facilitated by gelsolin and alpha-actinin, Langmuir, 21, 2789-2795