Yan Zhang, Ph.D.

What we can build with biology is fundamentally shaped by the tools we have available. My lab develops cell-free synthetic biology platforms to overcome survival and resource constraints commonly found in living cells, expanding what we can build with biology. Our long-term vision is to design, build, and deploy biotechnology with the predictability expected of an engineering discipline.

Professional Appointments

Incoming Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University (2027-)

NIH MOSAIC K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Postdoctoral Fellow
California Institute of Technology (2024)

Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow
California Institute of Technology (2022)

Education

Ph.D., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology (2022)

B.S., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Cornell University (2017)

Research Interests

Cell-free synthetic biology
Synthetic cells
Molecular diagnostics
Precision therapeutics

Contact

Email: yz473[at]rice[dot]edu
Curriculum Vitae