Vivian Y
- Research Program Mentor

PhD at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

Expertise

viruses, parasites, gut microbiome, biology, immunology

Bio

Hello! I'm currently a postdoc at UCLA researching the dynamic relationship between the gut microbiome and host epithelia. I previously attained a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, focusing on HIV from UCLA, and also graduated from UCLA with an B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and a minor in Biomedical Research. During my undergraduate studies, I worked on a cell division protein that may be related to cancer. I am very interested in infectious diseases and how pathogens interact with their hosts' immune systems. Hoping to share my love for biology! Would love to mentor anyone with an interest in looking at the molecular level (proteins, DNA, RNA, etc) of how diseases affect people/animals, history of combating infectious diseases, and how diseases work in general. Would also love to discuss/explore the interface of science and society (historical or contemporary).

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Stay out! History of Combating Infectious Diseases

Public health is constantly evolving, but what have we done previously to stop epidemics? How did different societies face different threats? In this project, students can pick an (infectious) disease they are interested in and compare ways different societies (of the same or different time period) tried to eliminate this threat. We will then work turning this question into a project! Can be video, review paper, etc.

Evolutionary Arms Race- Review of Host-Pathogen Interactions

Most pathogens have been evolving with different host species for a long time. How has this interaction affected both sides? Students will choose a pathogen of interest and one of its hosts to do a review on the way hosts have evolved to stop this particular pathogen and how the pathogen has evolved to evade the host immune response. Review can be done in different forms- video, paper, powerpoint, etc. Prerequisites: Basic understanding of the theory of evolution and basic biology

Infectious Disease Review

How does your favorite pathogen actually work? In this project, students will pick an infectious disease of interest and do a review of scientific literature on the pathogen's replication cycle, how it interacts with its host(s), and how it spreads. End project can be a review paper or different form!

Coding skills

Languages I know

Mandarin, TeoChew

Teaching experience

I have taught structured lab experiments to students ranging from preschool to undergraduate, as well as mentored students in middle school, high school, and undergraduate in science camps and workshops in regards to setting up for a career in science. I have also set up a curriculum and taught English to elementary school students in areas with a high immigrant population and American history to high school students. Recently, I was a Teaching Assistant for an undergraduate course for virology.