Zhaoqi Yan, PhD

Dr. Zhaoqi Yan is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Gladstone Institutes at the Akassoglou Lab. Dr. Yan received a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Science and Technology in Beijing and a Master of Science degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Yan earned Ph.D. in neuroimmunology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he was mentored by Dr. Etty (Tika) Benveniste. During his Ph.D. training, Dr. Yan investigated the role of signaling transduction of immune cells in the process of neuroinflammation. His graduate research demonstrated a detrimental role of neutrophils in MS and neurological myelitis optica by promoting oxidative stress in the CNS. Currently, Dr. Yan continues to characterize the molecular mechanisms of innate immunity in neurodegeneration under the mentorship of Dr. Katerina Akassoglou. Dr. Yan aims to dissect the molecular and cellular mechanisms of CNS oxidative stress in AD and other neuroinflammatory diseases by utilizing the cutting-edge technologies established in the Akassoglou lab, including in vivo two-photon imaging, transcriptomic, metabolomics, and proteomic techniques. Dr. Yan has published 18 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including 5 first-author papers, and he has received 7 presentation or travel awards.