围绕微生物来源酶资源的发掘、改造和应用开展研究，解析具有工业用途的酶蛋白晶体结构与催化机制，开展蛋白结构与催化机制指导下的酶性能设计与强化，设计多酶协同催化体系实现生物活性分子与生物材料的体外合成。
长期从事酶学与蛋白质工程研究，致力于新型高效生物催化元件的开发与应用。通过整合生物化学、结构生物学及计算生物学等多学科手段，系统揭示了微生物来源酶蛋白的底物识别与催化机制，并在酶分子理性设计与工程应用方面取得了系列创新成果。先后主持国家、省部级等项目10项，以第一作者或通讯作者在Nat.Commun.、Appl. Environ. Microbiol.、FEBS J.、Biotechnol. Bioeng.、Catal. Sci. Technol.等国际权威期刊发表论文24篇（其中封面论文4篇），获授权发明专利11件（含美国专利1件），参与编写专著1部，获2019年度广东省科技进步一等奖1项（9/15）。
Yu Chen#, Jian Yang#, Xinyu Huang, Jian Zhang, Qiqi Li, Lina Lyu, Feng Ju, Jie Li*, Si Zhang*. Exploring the role of organotrophic microbes in geochemical cycling of cold seep sediments, The Innovation Geoscience, 2025, doi: 10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2024.100123
Wei Li, Shanshan Lin, Xianjie Wang, Shiting Chen, Lijuan Long, Jian Yang*. Molecular insights into the hydrolysis and transglycosylation of a deep-sea Planctomycetota-derived GH16 family laminarinase, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2024, 90(10): e0094224.
Jian Yang*, Liping Zhang, Shanshan Lin, Wei Li, Chen Liu, Jingheng Yan, Shubo Li, Lijuan Long*. Structural insights of a SusD-like protein in marine Bacteroidetes bacteria reveal the molecular basis for chitin recognition and acquisition, The FEBS Journal, 2024, 291: 584-595. （封面论文）
Kun Zhang#, Qi Zeng#, Rouyun Jiang, Songbiao Shi, Jian Yang*, Lijuan Long, Xinpeng Tian*. Three novel marine species of Paracoccus, P. aerodenitrificans sp. nov., P. sediminicola sp. nov. and P. albus sp. nov., and the characterization of their capability to perform heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification, Microorganisms, 2023, 11(6), 1532.
Takuya Miyakawa#, Jian Yang#, Masato Kawasaki#, Naruhiko Adachi#, Ayumu Fujii, Yumiko Miyauchi, Tomonari Muramatsu, Toshio Moriya, Toshiya Senda*, Masaru Tanokura*. Structural bases for aspartate recognition and polymerization efficiency of cyanobacterial cyanophycin synthetase, Nature Communications, 2022, 13: 5097.
Jian Yang *, Shubo Li, Yu Liu, Ru Li, Lijuan Long*. Structural and biochemical basis of a marine bacterial glycoside hydrolase family 2 β-glycosidase with broad substrate specificity, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2022, 88(2): e02226-21. （封面论文）
Yu Liu, Chen Liu, Huan Liu, Qi Zeng, Xinpeng Tian, Lijuan Long*, Jian Yang *. Catalytic features and thermal adaptation mechanisms of a deep sea bacterial cutinase-type poly(ethylene terephthalate) hydrolase, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 2022, 10: 865787.
Jian Yang *, Yunzhu Xiao, Yu Liu, Ru Li, Lijuan Long*. Structure-based redesign of the bacterial prolidase active-site pocket for efficient enhancement of methyl-parathion hydrolysis, Catalysis Science & Technology, 2021, 11: 5086-5093. （封面论文）
Jian Yang, Yuqun Xu, Takuya Miyakawa, Lijuan Long*, Masaru Tanokura*.Molecular basis for substrate recognition and catalysis by a marine bacterial laminarinase, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2020, 86(23): e01796-20
Jian Yang #, Yunzhu Xiao#, Ru Li, Yu Liu, Lijuan Long*. Repurposing a bacterial prolidase for organophosphorus hydrolysis: Reshaped catalytic cavity switches substrate selectivity, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2020, 117: 2694-2702.（封面论文）
