Postdoctoral researcher in Chinmay Dwibedi lab. Yingyu's research focuses on conjugated linoleic acid biosynthesis in gut microbiota.
In September 2025, Yingyu joined the Chinmay Dwibedi lab as a postdoctoral researcher, where her current work focuses on the gut microbial pathways underlying conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) biosynthesis. CLAs are bioactive lipid isomers with potential health-promoting properties, including anti-inflammatory and metabolic benefits. Certain gut microbes, particularly members of Lactobacillus genera, can convert linoleic acid (LA) into CLAs through specialized metabolic pathways. However, the genetic basis and functional diversity of CLA biosynthesis within gut microbial communities remain incompletely understood. To address this gap, Yingyu is investigating the genomic potential for CLA production in gut-associated Lactobacillus and related taxa.
Yingyu obtained her Ph.D. in Ruminant Nutrition from Nanjing Agricultural University, China, where she investigated the effects of subacute ruminal acidosis on rumen homeostasis and explored the role of rumen content transplantation in remodeling rumen homeostasis in lactating dairy cows. Her research employed a combination of multi-omics approaches, including metagenomics, transcriptomics, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and metabolomics (HPLC-MS) analysis.