Libin Ye, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
E-mail: libinye@usf.edu
2019- Affiliate Member, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
2018- Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa,FL, USA
2013-2018 Postdoc Fellow,Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Canada
2012-2013 Postdoc Fellow, Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
2011-2012 Postdoc Fellow, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA
My research interest lies in signaling cascades and human diseases. I pursued my doctorate as an IZKF summer school PhD scholar in the lab of Prof. Carsten Hoffmann at the Institute of Molecular Cell Biology Jena, Germany. During this period, I studied the non-canonical regulation of Gq-protein signaling by G-protein coupled receptor kinases. Before that, I was trained as a junior research fellow in the lab of Dr. P.V Ravindra at the Department of Biochemistry at CSIR- Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, India. There I got the opportunity to investigate the molecular link between diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. I did my masters in Genetics from the University of Mysore, Mysuru, India and my bachelors in Chemistry, Zoology and Biotechnology from St. Joseph’s College, Bengaluru, India. Overall, my scientific goal is to study biochemical mechanisms and signaling cascades involved in metabolic diseases and investigate therapeutic drugs and bioactives. Outside the lab I like to hike, travel, write and cook quick one-pot recipes and dance to Bollywood music.
Natasha Jaiswal
Postdoctoral Associate
I am a third-year PhD student studying the expression and function of G Protein-Coupled Receptors in red tide algae in Dr. Ye’s lab. Studying these algae comes with many research challenges, I have been building protocols to interrogate the bioluminescent mechanisms that set these algae apart from other organisms. My research interests include super-resolution microscopy, biophotonics, and marine biology. I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and a minor in Education and joined the USF Molecular Biology PhD program in 2020. I have taught introductory biology labs for undergraduates, and volunteer in high school science outreach. My career goal is to become a full-time instructor at a university, following my long family tradition of teaching. My hobbies include playing board and card games with family and friends and doing home improvement projects.
Aidan McFarland
Ph.D. candidate (2020)
I was a MS student in Dr. Ye's lab and promoted to a Ph.D. student in 2022. In terms of the research, I am passionate for structure biology with a particular interest in membrane proteins like G-protein-coupled receptors. Currently, I am pursuing my Ph.D. with a major in Cell and Molecular Biology. My research project is focused on advancing macromolecular 19F NMR to better understand protein substates and ligand biases of G protein-coupled receptors for a better drug development I hold a Master's degree in Biological Engineering/ Chemical Engineering from the Beijing Institute of Technology, China and a Bachelor's degree in Biopharmaceuticals/ Biological Engineering from the South China University of Technology. In my spare time, I enjoy playing PC games and exploring the latest developments in PC hardware.
Xudong Wang
Ph.D. student (2022)
MS. 2020-2022
Hello, everyone! My name is Wenkai Sun. I am a new Ph.D. student in Dr. Ye’s lab. And my Ph.D. research area is Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology. With five years of experience in working on metabolic pathway analysis of medicinal plants, I mainly studied the catalytic activity of enzymes to the substrate before. While keep searching for research topics of my interest, I have been fascinated by the role transmembrane proteins play in material transport. Dr. Ye’s research projects GPCR and Biofilm Biosynthesis attract me most, and I plan to study the structure and function of transmembrane proteins during my Ph.D. period. Characterization of the structure and function of transmembrane proteins will become the career goal for me to continue to explore in future scientific research. In my free time, I like to play badminton with my friends.
Wenkai Sun
Ph.D. student (2023)
Hi my name is Seth. I studied Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of South Florida and have been involved with the Ye lab since at the end of 2022. I thoroughly enjoy the research being done here and plan to continue my research in Dr. Ye's lab. In the future, I hope to take my research experience and find a career at NASA hopefully researching the origins of life on Earth and the potential for life elsewhere in the universe. On my free time I can most likely be found at the beach soaking in the beautiful Florida sun!
Seth Brady-Johnson
MS student(2023)
New Bull