My academic training and research experience in organic chemistry, chemical biology, structural biology, and biochemistry provided me with multidisciplinary background for my development into an independent researcher. My research career started with organic synthesis methodology in the catalytic alkylation of primary allylic amines, under the supervision of Dr. Shi-Kai Tian. After I joined the lab of Dr. Jiaoyang Jiang as a graduate student, my research directions transitioned to chemical biology and structure biology. I developed novel covalent probes for O-GlcNAc Transferase and determined the structures of human O-GlcNAcase in complex with its substrates for the first time. My graduate research yielded two co-first authored papers in prestigious journals and several awards. I joined Dr. Tom Rapoport’s lab to pursue my postdoctoral research in structural biology, biochemistry, and cell biology, where he is a renowned leader in the field. My initial work during my postdoctoral research addressed the mechanism by which Cdc48 processes its substrates, resulting in a co-first authored paper. I then used purified yeast components to reconstitute Cdc48-dependent degradation of well-folded model substrates by the 26S proteasome. Based on this in vitro reconstitution assay, I found that polyubiquitinated proteins are shuttled between Cdc48 ATPase and the 26S proteasome with their cofactors before being degraded. I plan to expand my skillsets by answering the questions of which additional factors are required for Cdc48/p97-dependent proteasomal protein degradation. My proposed research under the supervision of Dr. Rapoport will extend my expertise in biochemical experiments and allow me to acquire proficiency in cryogenic electron microscopy and cell culture. The proposed project also includes a detailed career development plan through which my skills in scientific writing and communication, as well as in mentoring students and lab management will be elevated. Taken together, I believe that the proposed research and training plan will pave my road to become an independent investigator in the fields of biochemistry and chemical biology.