University of Groningen
Bio-organic hybrids of DNA, peptides and surfactants: from liquid crystals to molecular sleds Zhang, Lei
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Publication date: 2017
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Zhang, L. (2017). Bio-organic hybrids of DNA, peptides and surfactants: from liquid crystals to molecular sleds. University of Groningen.
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Acknowedgements
In the end of my thesis, I would like to express my grateful acknowledge to those who made this thesis possible and helped me during my PhD time.
First and foremost, I give my greatest and deepest gratitude to Prof. Andreas Herrmann for giving me an opportunity to study in your group. From that time, my new life began and I was into a totally new field related to deoxyribonucleic acid. After one year, you kindly offered me a PhD position regardless of my poor English and you would not know how excited I was at that moment. Thank you so much, Andreas, for giving me this opportunity and endless, valuable advice and help during my study in your group. Every time after talking to you, I found greater motivation and new aspects for my projects. I learned a lot from your sharp ideas and rigorous attitude in scientific researches.
I express my sincere thanks to my co-supervisor Prof. Antoine van Oijen. Antoine, I am very grateful to you for the valuable discussions on PCR experiments and revising our paper.
I would like to acknowledge the members of the reading committee, Prof. dr. Wouter Roos, Prof. dr. Nathalie Katsonis, Prof. dr. Albert Schenning, for reading and approving this thesis. Your valuable comments and advice helped me a lot to improve my thesis.
Thanks to my colleagues in PCBE group for being always kind and helpful. Without you, my PhD life would not be holonomic and memorable. Dr. Kai Liu, my great thanks to you. When I approached to the projects about liquid crystal, I knew little about it. But I learned a lot under your guidance and technical help and also data analysis. Without your help, my thesis would not be completed. Your scientific work is so excellent that we, the Chinese community, are never doubtful that you would be an outstanding scientist in China one day. I wish you a bright future and all the best to your family (Juanjuan, Ester and Grace).
Dr. Lifei Zheng, thank you so much for the help in writing paper and the support in the very beginning of my PCBE life. With your great help, this thesis could be completed earlier than expected. Although you left Groningen, we still often speak of you not only your excellent scientific ability but also your humorous style. Wish you a great postdoctor life in Nijmegen. All the best to your family (qinhong, xiaolu).
Alex, thank you for your help in data analysis and your support in pVIc experiments. It is a great experience to collaborate with you. Sourav, special thanks to you for the help of AFM measurements, data analysis and writing for AFM results.
My dear PCBE colleagues, many thanks to your kind help in lab. Jan Willem, thank you for your kind help for the beginning of my PhD study. You are always willing and patient to answer my questions and translate letters from Dutch government for me. My dear dear lady, Agnieszka, it is really a happy moment when we were having lunch or dinner or cooking together. You are my best foreign friends in Netherlands and thank you for the organization and contribution for my baby shower, my precious memory (thank you all my friends who contributed it). Allessio, thank you for your help for primers design and PCR experiments. It is really a nice experience to work with you.
Alina, every time when I was anxious about my experiment or personal things, you always encourage me and find ways to help me get confidence again. Thank you. Mark, you helped a lot in dutch letter translation, calling the energy company for the contract and also the mistake they made for annual bill and also the dutch translation of this thesis summary. Thanks very much. Jun, Pei, Wei, Tiancai, Hongyan, Jing, Shuidong, Chao, Pengkun, Miancheng, Yu, Gurudas, Karolin, Kseyniya, Konstantin, Eliza, Avishek, Anke, Tobias, Deepak, thank you for being my colleagues and help in my PhD life. I am very glad to work with you and I enjoyed a lot.
I would like to thank all my friends here who gave me generous support and made my stay in Groningen more wonderful and meaningful. Wenjun and tao, thank you very much for your support when Annie was born and also the support during the alone time in Groningen. I really enjoy every dinner you organized and learned a lot from your style of enjoying life. Hope your little sweet, Nuannuan, a happier life. Jingyi and shuo, many thanks for your great help, especially the first month after Annie was born and also driving us to the doctor when Annie’s arm was dislocated. Thank you for letting me moving in your house at the last month and always kindly preparing food for me. All the best to you and Tuantuan. Zhuojun and qing, thanks for your help in the lab and daily life. Now you have your little sweet heart, Mengan. I wish you a wonderful future. Jiaying, Jin, Qiuyan, Yi, Ting, Yun, Jiquan, Zhonghong, Xiaoyan, Lili, Jiawen, Beibei, thank all of you who made my life in Groningen happier and unforgettable.
I want to show my great appreciation to my parents and my parents-in-law. Thank you for your constant support for our long study road and the help of looking after Annie. Keling, my dear young sister, thank you for your accompany with Annie when I was not with her. I hope you have a beautiful life with Long. My sweet heart, Annie, you can not image how much happiness you brought to me and how much I miss you when you were not along with me. I enjoyed much to be a mother and it is really a happy thing to witness your growing up every day. Be happy, be healthy, this is my best wishes to you. My dear husband, Zhongtao, thank you to walk into my life. Together with you, life becomes rich and colorful. Although I am not communicative, I like to hear you talking and this made me feel ease. Thank you for your love and your support. Let’s share the responsibility for our whole family and I will always be your side in future, no matter what happens. 只有家人在一起的生活才是美好的，珍惜眼前，懂得感恩。
Publications:
1. Alexander Turkin, Lei Zhang, Alessio Marcozzi, Walter F. Mangel, Andreas Herrmann and Antoine M. van Oijen, Speeding up biomolecular interactions by molecular sledding, Chem. Sci. 2016, 7,916-920. (first co-author) 2. Lei Zhang, Lifei Zheng, Zhuojun Meng, Konstantin Balinin, Mark Loznik and Andreas Herrmann,
Accelerating Chemical Reactions by Molecular Sledding, Chem. Commun. Accepted.
3. Lei zhang, Chao ma, Giuseppe portale, Jing sun, Kai Liu, Andreas Herrmann, Genetically engineered supercharged polypeptide fluids: fast and persistent self-ordering induced by a touch, Angew.Chem. Int. Ed. Submitted.
4. Lei Zhang, Sourav Maity, Kai Liu, Qing Liu, Robert Gӧstl, Wouter H Roos, Andreas Herrmann, Nematic DNA thermotropic liquid crystals with photo-responsive mechanical properties, Small, Accepted.
