Qing Yu

Principal Investigator

• Postdoctoral Fellow – Harvard Medical School – Boston, MA (2022)

Mentor: Prof. Steven Gygi

• Ph.D. – University of Wisconsin - Madison, WI (2017)

Advisor: Prof. Lingjun Li

• Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School

• Member of Program in Chemical Biology

Shaoxian Li

Postdoctoral Researcher

• Ph.D. – Chinese Academy of Sciences (2023) – Shanghai, China

Advisor: Prof. Fajun Nan

• Joined 12/2024

• Email: shaoxian.li11 [at] umassmed [dot] edu

Daniel M. Richards

Graduate Student

• B.S. – University of Oregon (2021) – Eugene, OR

Major: Biology; Minor: Organic Chemistry

• Joined 5/2025

• Email: daniel.richards1 [at] umassmed [dot] edu

Before joining the Yu Lab, I was a research associate in Marian Walhout's lab at UMass Chan studying the impact of microbial metabolism on host physiology in the model organism C. elegans. I am broadly interested in studying the impact of metabolites/metabolism on protein function using mass spectrometry-based methods.  

Zixuan Ye

Graduate Student

• M.A./B.A. – University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (2024) – Buffalo, NY

Major: Combined B.A./M.A. program in Applied Mathematics

• Joined 5/2025 

• Email: Zixuan.Ye [at] umassmed [dot] edu

I am an ENFP at heart, badminton addict by habit, and a lifelong admirer of mathematical beauty. After diving deep into applied math, I made a bold leap into computational biology, chasing the thrill of challenges and the unknown. Currently, I’m a beginner in proteomics and bioinformatics, learning fast and loving the journey.

Fun fact: I once solo-traveled through Tibet, up to 5800 meters without a hint of altitude sickness or motion sickness, and came back with lungs full of mountain air and stories to tell.

Fangyi (Coco) Zhai

Graduate Student (Co-mentored by Dr. Roger Davis)

• M.S. – University of Connecticut (2024) – Storrs, CT

Major: Nutritional Sciences

• B.A. – Mount Holyoke College (2022) – South Hadley, MA

Major: Biochemistry & Philosophy

• Joined 5/2025 

• Email: Fangyi.Zhai [at] umassmed [dot] edu

Before I joined UMass Chan, I was a research assistant and also graduate student in the Andersen Lab in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at UConn, where I studied the immunomodulatory effect of HDL (high-density lipoproteins, that good cholesterol show up in your bloodwork). When I'm not pipetting or debugging the code, I might be found playing the guitar, snowboarding, and enjoying good food. Work hard, play harder!

Come Join the Team!

We are currently hiring for multiple positions.