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.

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!