Now a first-year Ph.D. student in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Physics at Syracuse, Jiang has achieved what many researchers spend years working toward: publishing groundbreaking research in the prestigious Journal of Physical Chemistry. The fundamental research has broad applicability to biochemical processes, protein analytics, and drug development. The remarkable part? He completed this work as an undergraduate, demonstrating how Syracuse empowers students to conduct graduate-level research with genuine real-world implications.

Initially a mathematics major in A&S as an undergrad, Jiang’s interest in physics was sparked by an entry level course. He reached out to physics professor John Laiho and began assisting with computational work and coding on high-energy particle physics research. It also turned his primary interest from mathematics to physics, adding a double major.

Two years later, professor Liviu Movileanu recognized Jiang’s exceptional performance in a thermodynamics course and invited him to join his biophysics research program and collaborate with a theoretical biophysicist, assistant teaching professor Antun Skanata.

Throughout summer 2024, Jiang immersed himself in the project—developing theoretical frameworks, creating diagrams, and performing complex calculations. The work focused on understanding how proteins interact with cell receptors, a fundamental process that controls countless biological functions.

“As an undergraduate researcher, Yuming did superbly well working on a complex issue involving competitive interactions in modern molecular biology, which can be addressed through theoretical and computational physics,” says Movileanu. “He put in relentless effort to overcome any challenges during this research, and he possesses all the personal qualities necessary to achieve great success as a graduate student as well.”

Solving a Complex Puzzle

Cells rely on proteins to communicate and control what happens both inside and outside their boundaries. At the cell surface, “hub” proteins called receptors act like docking stations, connecting with numerous other proteins called ligands that deliver different signals or trigger various cellular actions.

The challenge? These protein interactions are constantly in flux—attaching, detaching and competing with one another based on concentration levels and binding strength. The goal was to predict how different types of ligands compete for the receptor—for example, which ligand has the advantage, and how that advantage shifts as each ligand’s concentration changes.

Jiang and his collaborators applied an innovative solution: queuing theory, a mathematical approach originally developed to study waiting lines. By modeling how proteins “take turns” binding to receptors, they created a system that can calculate receptor occupancy based on the rate at which each protein binds and unbinds, and its concentration.

Their findings revealed surprising complexity. Even in a simple system with just three proteins competing for the same receptor, changing the amount of one protein dramatically affects how the other two interact—similar to how one person cutting in line changes everyone else’s wait time.

For more complex systems involving many competing proteins, the team developed a simplified “coarse-grained” model that groups similar proteins together, making the calculations more manageable while maintaining accuracy.

By providing a quantitative tool to predict receptor behavior when multiple signaling molecules compete for binding sites, this research could help scientists better understand how cells process complex signals and how disruptions in these interactions might lead to disease. For pharmaceutical development, the ability to predict drug-protein interactions could accelerate development while reducing the need for certain human trials. “We might be able to predict how a drug is acting on a target protein, target cells,” Jiang says. " I think that’s the most profound implication.”

A Pattern of Excellence

The research publication was not an isolated success. Jiang won the mathematics department's Euclid Prize for promising math majors as a junior and the Erdős Prize for Excellence in Mathematical Problem-Solving for his performance in the Putnam Competition, one of the most prestigious mathematics competitions in the United States. He was also named a 2025 Syracuse University Scholar, the highest undergraduate honor the University bestows.

Jiang’s story illustrates Syracuse University’s distinctive approach to undergraduate education—one where students don’t simply learn about science from textbooks, but actively contribute to advancing human knowledge. By connecting talented undergraduates with faculty conducting cutting-edge research, Syracuse creates opportunities for discoveries that resonate beyond campus.

“Working with undergraduates like Yuming is a very rewarding experience,” says Skanata, one of Jiang’s faculty mentors. “It was a joy to see him succeed and I look forward to his future contributions as he taps into the immense potential that he carries within.”

For Jiang, research was an essential component to his undergraduate experience. “Doing research as an undergrad allows you to experience more than your peers,” he says. “Undergraduate research allows you to explore different fields without the intense pressure graduate students face, providing freedom to discover genuine interests and build skills.”

As he continues his Ph.D. studies in physics, building the knowledge foundation needed for theoretical physics, Jiang carries forward the skills and confidence gained through his undergraduate work. “I love the process,” he says. “Being lost in a tough problem and working through solutions in an organized way to find what’s true and what can advance science.”