Meet the Team
Principal Investigator (2023–present)
Yuzhong Liu
Postdoc Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2018–2023)
Advisor: Jay Keasling
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Ph.D. in Chemistry (2013–2018)
University of California, Berkeley
Advisor: Omar Yaghi
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[Email] [Google Scholar] [Twitter]
Postdoctoral Researcher
(2024–present)
Dr. Yihan Yang
Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
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[Email]
Graduate Student
(2023–present)
Heewon Seo
Undergraduate Research Intern
(2025–present)
Amara Iverson
Lead Physicist
(2014–present)
Coco
Inspired by Newton's law of universal gravitation, Coco is passionate about knocking everything off the table and has gotten quite good at it.
Resident singing cat prodigy
(2025–present)
Oliver (Ollie)
Ollie's nightly performances echo the passionate vibrato and dazzling agility reminiscent of Paganini’s most intricate compositions. With precision and flair, Ollie hits high notes in a soaring high spirit.
Postdoc? Graduate student? RA?
You!
Sugar enthusiasts
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Terpene synthesis junkies
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Immunoactivity nerds
In this lab, we believe
Our laboratory is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where scientific excellence thrives. We mentor and empower scientists with different backgrounds, experiences, scientific preferences, and worldviews.
In this spirit, our laboratory will welcome and champion all scientists regardless of race, religion, age, sexual orientation, or gender.
Lab Alum
Research Assistant (2023–2024)
Rossie Luo
Current position: PhD student at Rice University
Visiting Student (Summer 2024)
Zhaobo Lyu
Current position: MPhil in Chemistry
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology​
Graduate Student (2024–2025)
Yukiye Koide
Current position: Graduate student at Scripps Research
Postdoctoral Researcher (2024–2025)
Dr. Jan Crames
Current position: Project Management Analyst at IQVIA
SURF Undergraduate Intern (2025)
Fernanda Siordia
Current position: Undergraduate in Chemistry, UC Berkeley ​
Summer Intern (Summer 2025)
Diane Tang
Current position: Undergraduate in Chemistry, Oxford University, UK
Research Assistant (2023–2024)
Max Grabovac
Current position: PhD student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Rotation Student (Fall 2023–Spring 2024)
Yongheng Gao
Current position: Graduate student at Scripps Research
Product Manager (2016-2025)
Young Christian
Christian identifies the market problem of cat food shortage in the house and then leads the group (of 2) to scream at the human to effectively solve the problem.
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Visiting student (Spring & Summer 2025)
Lijian Su
Current position: Undergraduate in Chemistry, Xiamen University, China
High School Summer Intern (2025)
Roger Shi
Current position: High school student
Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
Graduate Student (2023–2025)
Alexandra Du
B.Sc. in Chemistry
University of California Berkeley
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