World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
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Best Scientists
2025
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Best Female Scientists
2025

D-Index & Metrics

Best Female Scientists

D-Index
187
Citations
100313
World Ranking
32
National Ranking
23

Best Scientists

D-Index
187
Citations
100313
World Ranking
476
National Ranking
312

Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
189
Citations
102892
World Ranking
52
National Ranking
44

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Best Female Scientists Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Best Scientists Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in United States Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in United States Leader Award
  • 2019 - Perl-UNC Prize, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Discovery and functional characterization of potassium channels
  • 2012 - Gruber Prize in Neuroscience, Society for Neuroscience
  • 2009 - Ralph W. Gerard Prize in Neuroscience, Society for Neuroscience
  • 2007 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 1995 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1988 - W. Alden Spencer Award, College of Physicians and Surgeons
  • 1977 - Fellow of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Overview

What is she best known for?

The fields of study she is best known for:

  • Gene
  • Genetics
  • DNA

Lily Yeh Jan mainly investigates Cell biology, Genetics, Potassium channel, Biophysics and Anatomy. Specifically, her work in Cell biology is concerned with the study of NUMB. Her research integrates issues of Peptide sequence, Patch clamp, Inward-rectifier potassium ion channel and G protein-coupled inwardly-rectifying potassium channel in her study of Potassium channel.

Her Biophysics study incorporates themes from Amino acid, Biochemistry, Neurotransmission, KCNJ5 and Neuromuscular junction. Her Anatomy research integrates issues from Glutamate receptor, NMDA receptor, Sensory system and Dendritic spine. Her research on Dendrite also deals with topics like

  • Morphogenesis which connect with Neuroscience,
  • Nervous system and related Axon.

Her most cited work include:

  • Interactions between heterologous helix-loop-helix proteins generate complexes that bind specifically to a common DNA sequence. (1460 citations)
  • Synaptic vesicle exocytosis captured by quick freezing and correlated with quantal transmitter release. (1209 citations)
  • Changing subunit composition of heteromeric NMDA receptors during development of rat cortex (1136 citations)

What are the main themes of her work throughout her whole career to date?

Lily Yeh Jan mostly deals with Cell biology, Biophysics, Potassium channel, Genetics and Neuroscience. Her studies deal with areas such as Drosophila Protein and Anatomy as well as Cell biology. The study incorporates disciplines such as Ligand-gated ion channel and Ion channel in addition to Biophysics.

Her Potassium channel study combines topics in areas such as Biochemistry, Inward-rectifier potassium ion channel and G protein-coupled inwardly-rectifying potassium channel. Gene, Drosophilidae, Drosophila melanogaster, Mutant and Transcription factor are among the areas of Genetics where Lily Yeh Jan concentrates her study. Her NUMB research is multidisciplinary, relying on both Cell division and Cell fate determination.

She most often published in these fields:

  • Cell biology (48.92%)
  • Biophysics (22.09%)
  • Potassium channel (19.33%)

What were the highlights of her more recent work (between 2013-2021)?

  • Cell biology (48.92%)
  • Biophysics (22.09%)
  • Neuroscience (17.55%)

In recent papers she was focusing on the following fields of study:

Cell biology, Biophysics, Neuroscience, Chloride channel and Ion channel are her primary areas of study. Her biological study spans a wide range of topics, including Cell, Cell cycle and Potassium channel. Her Biophysics research is multidisciplinary, incorporating perspectives in Calcium and Active matter.

Her research integrates issues of Mechanosensitive channels and Regeneration in her study of Neuroscience. Lily Yeh Jan focuses mostly in the field of Chloride channel, narrowing it down to topics relating to Airway and, in certain cases, ANO1, Cystic fibrosis and Mucus. Lily Yeh Jan combines subjects such as Protein structure, Epithelial sodium channel and Ion transporter with her study of Ion channel.

Between 2013 and 2021, her most popular works were:

  • Targeting potassium channels in cancer (182 citations)
  • Cryo-EM structures of the TMEM16A calcium-activated chloride channel. (149 citations)
  • Cardiac BIN1 folds T-tubule membrane, controlling ion flux and limiting arrhythmia. (143 citations)

In her most recent research, the most cited papers focused on:

  • Gene
  • DNA
  • Genetics

Lily Yeh Jan mainly focuses on Cell biology, Biophysics, Biochemistry, Neuroscience and Drosophila Protein. Her Cell biology research includes elements of Cytoskeleton, Transient receptor potential channel and Potassium channel. Her studies deal with areas such as Preclinical imaging, Calcium in biology and Luminescent Proteins as well as Biophysics.

Her research in Biochemistry focuses on subjects like Calcium, which are connected to Amino acid and Myocyte. Her study looks at the intersection of Neuroscience and topics like Ion channel with Transcription factor and Shal Potassium Channels. Her Drosophila Protein study contributes to a more complete understanding of Genetics.

Best Publications

  • Interactions between heterologous helix-loop-helix proteins generate complexes that bind specifically to a common DNA sequence.

    Cornelis Murre;Patrick Schonleber McCaw;H. Vaessin;M. Caudy

  • Changing subunit composition of heteromeric NMDA receptors during development of rat cortex

    Morgan Sheng;Jennifer Cummings;Leslie Ann Roldan;Yuh Nung Jan

  • Synaptic vesicle exocytosis captured by quick freezing and correlated with quantal transmitter release.

    J E Heuser;T S Reese;M J Dennis;Y Jan

  • Primary structure and functional expression of a mouse inward rectifier potassium channel

    Yoshihiro Kubo;Timothy J. Baldwin;Yuh Nung Jan;Lily Y. Jan

  • Expression cloning of TMEM16A as a calcium-activated chloride channel subunit.

    Björn Christian Schroeder;Tong Cheng;Yuh Nung Jan;Lily Yeh Jan

  • A new ER trafficking signal regulates the subunit stoichiometry of plasma membrane K(ATP) channels.

    Noa Zerangue;Blanche Schwappach;Yuh Nung Jan;Lily Yeh Jan

  • Distinct morphogenetic functions of similar small GTPases: Drosophila Drac1 is involved in axonal outgrowth and myoblast fusion.

    Liqun Luo;Y. J. Liao;Lily Yeh Jan;Yuh Nung Jan

  • Cloning of genomic and complementary DNA from Shaker, a putative potassium channel gene from Drosophila.

    Diane M. Papazian;Thomas L. Schwarz;Bruce L. Tempel;Yuh Nung Jan

  • Asymmetric distribution of numb protein during division of the sensory organ precursor cell confers distinct fates to daughter cells.

    Michelle S. Rhyu;Lily Yeh Jan;Yuh Nung Jan

  • G Protein-Coupled Inwardly Rectifying K+ Channels (GIRKs) Mediate Postsynaptic but Not Presynaptic Transmitter Actions in Hippocampal Neurons

    Christian Lüscher;Lily Y Jan;Markus Stoffel;Robert C Malenka

  • Sequence of a probable potassium channel component encoded at Shaker locus of Drosophila.

    Bruce L. Tempel;Diane M. Papazian;Thomas L. Schwarz;Yuh Nung Jan

  • A Trafficking Checkpoint Controls GABAB Receptor Heterodimerization

    Marta Margeta-Mitrovic;Yuh Nung Jan;Lily Yeh Jan

  • Control of Daughter Cell Fates during Asymmetric Division: Interaction of Numb and Notch

    Ming Guo;Lily Yeh Jan;Yuh Nung Jan

  • Antibodies to horseradish peroxidase as specific neuronal markers in Drosophila and in grasshopper embryos

    Lily Yeh Jan;Yuh Nung Jan

  • Asymmetric cell division

    Yuh Nung Jan;Lily Yeh Jan

  • Primary structure and functional expression of a rat G-protein-coupled muscarinic potassium channel

    Yoshihiro Kubo;Eitan Reuveny;Paul A. Slesinger;Yuh Nung Jan

  • atonal is a proneural gene that directs chordotonal organ formation in the Drosophila peripheral nervous system

    Andrew P. Jarman;Yves Grau;Lily Y. Jan;Yuh Nung Jan

  • Branching out: mechanisms of dendritic arborization

    Yuh Nung Jan;Lily Yeh Jan

  • Alteration of voltage-dependence of Shaker potassium channel by mutations in the S4 sequence.

    Diane M. Papazian;Leslie C. Timpe;Yuh Nung Jan;Lily Y. Jan

  • A protein component of Drosophila polar granules is encoded by vasa and has extensive sequence similarity to ATP-dependent helicases

    Bruce Hay;Lily Yeh Jan;Yuh Nung Jan

Frequent Co-Authors

Yuh Nung Jan
Yuh Nung Jan University of California, San Francisco
Ehud Y. Isacoff
Ehud Y. Isacoff University of California, Berkeley
Bruce L. Tempel
Bruce L. Tempel University of Washington
Thomas Schwarz
Thomas Schwarz Boston Children's Hospital
Daniel L. Minor
Daniel L. Minor University of California, San Francisco
Markus Stoffel
Markus Stoffel University of Geneva
Morgan Sheng
Morgan Sheng Broad Institute
Song-Hai Shi
Song-Hai Shi Tsinghua University
Liqun Luo
Liqun Luo Stanford University
Yifan Cheng
Yifan Cheng University of California, San Francisco

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