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.

Christopher Smith, Research Technician

Chris earned his Bachelor's degree at the College of the Holy Cross in Environmental Studies with a focus in Geosciences where he also completed the pre-medical track and focused in Art History. He then earned his MSc in Microbiology and Immunology at the UB, where he engineered nanoparticles and researched their effects on human neutrophils. Although he has many interests, being in the lab is his main passion. He is thrilled to work in the Huang lab to research gut microbes and characterize genomic variations. He plans to earn his PhD, with the eventual goal of becoming a professor and having a lab to discover better treatments and cures for rare illnesses, like his own, that do not receive much research attention.

Allie 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.

Nishat Ananna, MSc student, Microbiology and Immunology

Nishat is from Bangladesh and completed her bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology at BRAC University, where she did her undergraduate research on bacteriophage and antimicrobial resistance. She is very passionate about research and believes that although research work might be laborious, it is an enthralling journey that installs perseverance and strengthens thinking ability. She is excited to research gut microbiota and bacteriophages and to learn bioinformatics and various molecular biology techniques. In the future, she dreams of earning her PhD to become a researcher and traveling around the world. She loves cycling, reading mysteries, and historical fiction. 

Khalida Khatun, Undergraduate Student

Khalida is a sophomore majoring in Neuroscience on the pre-med track. She started as a summer intern in the Huang Lab through the CLIMB UP program, gaining valuable insights into microbiology and lab research. Her work involves isolating phages that infect gut anaerobes. When she is not in the lab or studying, she enjoys caring for her succulents. She is excited to further her research journey and explore fields like psychology, neurology, and clinical research. She looks forward to where this path will take her!

Sasha Sazonova, Undergraduate Student

Sasha is a freshman Pharmacy student at the University at Buffalo in the Early Assurance program, which combines 2 years of undergraduate courses with 4 years of PharmD degree. She joined the lab through a work-study position to help out in the lab. She is fascinated with the human body and how it processes different drugs. Microbiology is an important part of pharmacology, so she is excited to gain lab experiences. She wishes to get a job in the pharmacy field.