Team

Our lab is committed to providing an inclusive and supportive environment for all members. We strive to realize each individual’s potential, to support a diverse research group and career goals, and to contribute to society through scientific advancement.

Yolanda Huang, PI

Yolanda completed her PhD at Harvard University in Chemical Biology and was a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in systems biology before starting her lab at UB. Throughout her scientific journey, she has been fascinated by microbial diversity and their ability to colonize all habitats. This includes the human gut, a nutrient-rich environment that supports densely populated, complex microbial communities. She is excited to build a research program to tackle long-standing challenges in microbiology and advance the field through a molecular lens and by developing new tools.

Maria Sousa, Lab Manager

Maria began working as a research technician at Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary in Boston MA in 2011. After moving to Buffalo in 2016, they became a research technician and lab manager in the Ophthalmology department at UB. Throughout their scientific career, Maria has always had an interest in genetics and molecular biology. They are excited to explore human gut anaerobes and keep the Huang Lab well organized!

Allison Hanna, PhD student, Microbiology and Immunology

Allie graduated with her BSc in Biochemistry with a minor in Chemistry from University at Buffalo. Her undergraduate research focused on repurposing anti-viral and chemotherapeutic drugs for combination therapy against multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa clinical isolates. She joined the lab through the PPBS program, where she’s gained a fascination for microbial genetics and the complex interactions of microbes and their environments. Her long-term research goals are centered on antibiotic resistance mechanisms and antibiotic development.

Krushe Mundru, Research Technician

Krushe earned her Master's degree in Microbiology and Immunology from University at Buffalo. Her thesis research focused on isolating and characterizing bacteriophages against multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter strains. Fascinated by the intricate relationships between microbes and their hosts, she is drawn to the role of gut anaerobes in human health and disease. In the Huang lab, she is excited to work on characterizing the bacteriophages that infect Bacteriodales and study their interactions with their bacterial hosts.

Maddy Manasse, T35 MD Scholar

Madeleine is a rising second-year MD candidate at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. She graduated from the University of Southern California in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in music and spent her early post-graduate years working as a violinist. After deciding to pursue medicine, she completed her prerequisite coursework through the post-baccalaureate premedical program at Columbia University in 2023. Madeleine has previously worked in clinical research in pediatric emergency medicine and is joining the Huang Lab this summer as an NIH T35 scholar. She is interested in the relationship between commensal organisms and human health and is excited to gain experience in bacterial genetics.