This profile is part of a series to highlight the researchers who will be honored at a ceremony on Oct. 29 for UNMC’s 2026 Scientist Laureate, Research Leadership, Distinguished Scientist and New Investigator recipients.
Pengwei Zhang, PhD, will receive a New Investigator Award. New Investigator Awards go to outstanding UNMC scientists who in the past year have secured their first independent funding from a national source. New investigators also must demonstrate scholarly activity such as publishing their research and/or presenting their findings at national conventions.
- Name: Pengwei Zhang, PhD
- Title: Assistant professor, UNMC Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, UNMC College of Medicine
- Joined UNMC: July 2023
- Hometown: Hubei, China
Please describe your research focus in three words or less:
- Virus-host interactions
- Tumor viruses
Why is research important in the world today?
Tumor viruses cause approximately 15% of human cancers worldwide, highlighting the importance of understanding how they establish infection and promote disease. My research seeks to uncover how tumor viruses enter cells and exploit host machinery and fundamental cellular processes during infection. This work reveals vulnerabilities that can be targeted to prevent viral infection while providing broader insights into fundamental cellular mechanisms important for human health and disease.
My research will make a difference because:
My research investigates how tumor viruses navigate host cells and exploit cellular machinery to reach replication sites. Using complementary experimental approaches, I examine how intracellular transport, membrane fusion, and organelle interactions coordinate in space and time to traffic viral cargo and establish infection. This work reveals how viruses reprogram cellular pathways to overcome internal barriers. Beyond virology, these findings uncover fundamental principles of trafficking, membrane dynamics, and organelle biology, providing broader insight into normal cell function and mechanisms underlying human health and disease.
The best advice I’ve ever received is:
Work hard, but work smart, effort takes you further when it is guided by clear priorities, persistence and purpose.
Three things you may not know about me are:
- I love traveling, exploring new places and trying local food with my family.
- I have twin daughters who make life twice as interesting.
- I enjoy gardening and am always trying to keep one more plant alive.