Huitian (Yolanda) Diao, Ph.D.
Doctoral Thesis: Transcription Regulation of CD8 T Cells During Anti-Viral Response
Research Focus: Diao’s research focused on understanding the transcription regulation mechanism that shapes success or failure of anti-viral CD8 T cell response, by incorporating cutting edge bioinformatics and immunology techniques.
Undergraduate Institution: Nankai University
Noteworthy Publications: Stability and flexibility in chromatin structure and transcription underlies memory CD8 T-cell differentiation, F1000Research (2019)
Looking Back: "What I really value from my experience in the Pipkin lab at Scripps Florida is the emphasis on rigor and authenticity of research. Nevertheless, it was amazing to have the training opportunity in a wide range of skills from computational biology to wet lab immunology."
Next Steps: Diao is now working at BioNTech to bring knowledge in computational biology and system immunology into translation.
Be sure to watch our 2022 Commencement Ceremony video, recorded live on Friday, May 20, 2022. In addition to the conferral of doctoral degrees for our newest class of graduates, the event features a special presentation by recent Nobel Laureate Prof. Ardem Patapoutian.
