Qi Yang

Dr. Qi Yang is a research scientist at Flinders University specializing in marine sponge microbiome research. Her work focuses on unlocking intracellular microbial endosymbionts of marine sponges for new drug discovery, building on her doctoral research in Medical Biotechnology at Flinders University.

Her research interests center on marine sponge microbiome, with particular emphasis on understanding endosymbiotic microbiome of different types of sponge cells. She has developed and optimized protocols for sponge cultivation, cells dissociation, separation, and purification. Her innovative multi-primer approach (amplicon-based metagenomic sequencing) reveals endosymbiotic microbial profiles, while whole genome analysis of purified sponge cells uncovers relationships between specific microbiomes and their unique secondary metabolite profiles.

Dr. Yang's publication record shows consistent research output from 2013 through 2025, with significant impact particularly in marine microbiology, molecular biology, and drug discovery fields. Her 2020 review article on gut microbiota has received substantial attention with 396 citations. Her research demonstrates a clear trajectory from methodological development to applications in drug discovery, with marine sponges contributing over 30% of all marine natural products.

Selected Awards:

• Vice-Chancellor's Prize for Doctoral Thesis Excellence (2018)
• Conference Best Poster Award-The 3rd International Symposium on Sponge Microbiology (2018)
• Australia Institute of Marine Sciences Conference Travel Award (2017)
• Multiple Flinders University travel and development grants (2013-2016)

Dr. Yang actively contributes to the scientific community through membership in the Australia New Zealand Marine Biotechnology Society (since 2014) and the Australian Marine Sciences Association (since 2013). Her supervisory interests include marine microbiology, taxonomy, molecular phylogenetics, and sponge-associated bacteria, indicating her commitment to training the next generation of researchers in this specialized field.