Yingrong graduated from Emory in December 2023 with a double major in Chemistry and Computer Science. She is deeply interested in computational chemistry research.

Before joining Emory’s Atlanta campus, Yingrong began her studies at Oxford College. There, she conducted protein simulations under the guidance of Dr. Deepika Das. Later, she pursued quantum chemistry simulation as part of an honor thesis in Dr. Fang Liu’s lab.

Additionally, she gained experience in computer-aided drug discovery during her time in Dr. Jens Meiler’s lab at Vanderbilt University. Currently, she works as a contractor at Microsoft Azure Quantum Elements team, continuing her work on chemistry software development. She is set to join the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering program at Johns Hopkins University in fall 2025.

“Yingrong is an outstanding undergraduate researcher in computational chemistry,” says Dr. Fang Liu. “She has a clear plan for her career path and is always motivated and efficient in making research progress. She also has excellent communication skills in discussing scientific problems. Her ability to identify and fix issues in her projects reflects her maturity and resilience in scientific research.”

“Yingrong’s ability to identify and fix issues in her projects reflects her maturity and resilience in scientific research.”

Dr. Fang Liu

In her NSF GRFP propsal, Yingrong proposed to simulate α-synuclein aggregation by constructing a whole-cell model that merges computational simulations with experimental data. This research aims to unravel how phosphorylation alters α-synuclein’s cellular functions and leads to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, and it could aid in the development of targeted therapeutics for α-synuclein aggregation.

Congratulations, Yingrong!