Qiong Yang

Qiong Yang is an Associate Professor of Biophysics at the University of Michigan. She leads the Yang Lab, which focuses on interdisciplinary biophysics research, particularly in understanding self-organization during early embryo development in zebrafish and Xenopus. Her work integrates modeling, molecular biology, microscopy, and biomechanics to study biological clocks, cell cycles, and segmentation clocks. The lab is affiliated with multiple departments, including Biophysics, Physics, and Cell and Developmental Biology.

• Education: PhD in Physics from MIT, Postdoc at Stanford University with the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.
• Affiliations: Biophysics, Physics, Applied Physics, Center for the Study of Complex Systems.

Research interests include quantitative analysis of biological oscillators, synthetic cell systems, and the interplay between mechanical forces and developmental processes. Recent projects involve microfluidics-based assays and droplet-based artificial cells to study cell cycle dynamics and segmentation clocks.

Key awards include the Sloan Fellowship (2017), NSF CAREER Award (2015), and NIH MIRA Award (2016). Her team has published extensively on topics like coupled oscillators and substrate rigidity effects in development.

Teaching responsibilities include courses on biophysical microscopy, modeling, and dynamical processes. The lab actively engages in outreach, including science demonstrations at museums and K-12 programs.