吴建中教授，1990年获清华大学学士学位，1993年获硕士学位，1998年获美国加州大学伯克利分校博士学位。现在为加州大学河滨分校化工与环境系教授。主要研究方向为胶体及复杂体系热力学，非均匀流体结构性质以及生物体系的热力学性质研究。

A major focus of his research has been on the Density Functional Theory (DFT) for complex molecular systems. The free-energy functionals developed in his group have been successfully used to describe the microscopic structure and thermodynamic properties of colloidal dispersions, block copolymers, polymer and polyelectrolyte brushes, polymer composites, liquid crystals, telechelic and multivalent polymers, and confined DNA/RNA. In addition to DFT, they use advanced liquid-state theories and various molecular simulation techniques, including Monte Carlo, molecular and Langevin dynamics, to study equilibrium and off-equilibrium phase transitions in colloidal dispersions, charge/polymer-regulated colloidal forces, gas adsorption in porous materials, and protein folding in confined geometries. In collaboration with experimental groups, their theoretical investigations provide insights for discovery of a novel porous material for hydrogen storage, development of new methods for separation of large DNA molecules and protein folding, and design of a new procedure for protein refolding based on dynamic control.