Principal Investigator

Yijie Geng, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

yjgeng@uw.edu

Yijie received his B.S. in Biological Sciences & Bioengineering from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and his Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He completed post-doctoral training in Harvard Medical School and the University of Utah. In 2023, Yijie joined the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington as an Assistant Professor. 

Current Group Members

Karl Stuntzner-Gibson

Research Technologist

Karl is a Research Technologist in the Geng lab at the UW Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Allegheny College in 2020 and previously worked in Zebrafish transgenics industry. 

Maja Johnson

Research Scientist

Maja is a Research Scientist in the Geng Lab at UW.  She received her bachelor's degree from Amherst College in Biochemistry & Biophysics in 2022. She is interested in molecular biology and biochemistry research, and previously conducted research in a neurology lab.

Ally (Xinyi) Kong

Research Scientist

Ally is a Research Scientist in the Geng Lab.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Washington in 2022.  She is passionate and curious about biomolecular research in general, specifically interested in disease and cancer related work. Prior to joining the Geng lab,  she worked at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center as a research technician.  During her free time, she enjoys tennis, camping, traveling, movies, and delicious food.

Baixi "Alex" He

Ph.D. Student, DEOHS Program

Alex is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Environmental Health Science, after receiving his bachelor's degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2023. He focused on an environmental toxicology-related project in his undergraduate study and will further strengthen his expertise in this field by working as a Research Assistant in the Geng lab.  

Ping Zhang, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Ping is a postdoctoral fellow at the Geng lab. She received her Ph.D. degree in Medicine from Jinan University in Guangzhou, China in 2021 and subsequently worked for two years as a postdoctoral fellow at its affiliated hospital. She always has a passion for studying early embryonic development. Besides work, she enjoys skiing and surfing, and spending time with her friends.  

Leonardo Diaz

Undergrad, SURE-EH Trainee

Leonardo is a 3rd year undergraduate majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. His interests include research in adolescent development and investigating human diseases. He is currently working to elucidate how environmental neurotoxins and the gut microbiome modulate social behavior in larval zebrafish. In his free time, he enjoys swimming, watching sports, and building LEGOs.

Charles Zhou

Undergrad

Charles is a senior undergraduate majoring in Psychology at the University of Washington. He is generally interested in the field of neuroscience, including the neural regulation of zebrafish behavior. 

Shipei Huang

Undergrad

Shipei is a 4th year at the University of Washington currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Bioengineering. Recently, he is trying to take the data science pathway as a minor offered by the Bioengineering department. Shipei has a wide interest in neuroscience and bioscience. In his free time, Shipei likes to explore new restaurants, cooking and hiking.

Yixian (Sabrina) Zhang

High School Student

Sabrina is a high school junior from West Linn, Oregon. She is currently researching potential connections among fundamental signaling pathways involved in embryonic development using AI. Besides conducting research, Sabrina enjoys documenting life with her Sony camera, taking long walks, and always on a search for new food places to try out.

Alums

Tristen Krumenauer

Undergrad

2023

Tristen is a senior majoring in Biochemistry and Classical Studies. She is passionate about healthcare and animals. In her free time, she loves running and reading! She loves her pet ducks.