Qi Wang, PhD, completed undergraduate training in biology at Wuhan University in China. She was first introduced to neuroscience during her undergraduate dissertation research, where she worked on developing genetically encoded fluorescent sensors for neurotransmitters, which neurons use for signaling to other cells. Determined to continue working in the field of neuroscience, she obtained her PhD in neuroimmunology at Peking University under the mentorship of Dr. Jing Yang. Her graduate research focused on developing whole-tissue immunolabeling and optical clearing techniques to reveal the neuroimmune interaction underlying diverse pathological neurodegenerative conditions, such as traumatic axonal injury and chemical insult-induced axon degeneration.
During an exchange program in Dr. Zhigang He's laboratory at Boston Children's Hospital, Dr. Wang had the opportunity to work on axon regeneration and proprioception. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Johan Auwerx's laboratory at EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. Her research aims are to understand how mitochondrial metabolism modulates neuroimmune functions in health and aging, as well as to develop mitochondria-boosting therapies for neurodegenerative and other age-related disorders.