Lecturer in Molecular Biosciences

I joined the University of Bedfordshire in 2022 as a lecturer in Molecular Biosciences after a short career break. Prior to this, I undertook my post-doctoral training at the Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, where I studied ageing and host-microbial interaction using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans in the lab of Professor David Gems.

I received my Bachelor’s degree in Biological Science and Biotechnology at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China in 2008, before moving to the UK for my PhD at Cancer Research UK London Research Institute (now part of Francis Crick Institute in London).

Outside of work, I love to explore different cultures, and spend time with my young family.

Teaching

I am an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and am working towards the Fellow status. I am highly experienced in supervising and mentoring students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. At the University of Bedfordshire, I teach various units related to molecular biology and cell biology, based on my own research expertise. I also teach Level 4 and Level 5 Skills in Science units, in which I aim to prepare students for a career in science and beyond.

Once an international student myself, I understand the excitement and shock being in a new part of the world can bring. I am keen to support students from diverse backgrounds to reach their full potential.

Qualifications

• PhD in Biomedical Science, University College London
• BSc in Biological science and Biotechnology, Tsinghua University, China

Memberships

• Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE)
• Member of the Genetics Society

Research Interests

Ageing is one of the most important risk factors for chronic diseases. Interventions that target the ageing process have the potential to delay or prevent multiple age-related diseases and increase both lifespan and healthspan of humans. Using the simple yet powerful model organism C. elegans, I am interested in understanding the effect of insulin/IGF-signalling, dietary restriction, and nuclear hormone, as well as drugs modulating the relevant pathways, on organismal ageing. I developed novel methods to measure and interpret ageing and survival in C. elegans, which unveiled a complex relationship between worms and the microbes they consume. This has enabled me to tease apart the effect of multiple interventions on innate immunity versus ageing.

Selected Publications

• Zhao Y, Zhang B, Marcu I, Athar F, Wang H, Galimov ER, Chapman H, Gems D. Mutation of daf-2 extends lifespan via tissue-specific effectors that suppress distinct life-limiting pathologies. Aging Cell, 2021 Mar;20(3):e13324.
• Zhao Y, Wang H, Poole RJ, Gems D. A fln-2 mutation affects lethal pathology and lifespan in C. elegans. Nature Communications, 2019 Nov 8;10(1):5087.
• Wang H, Zhao Y, Ezcurra M, Benedetto A, Gilliat AF, Hellberg J, Ren Z, Galimov ER, Athigapanich T, Girstmair J, Telford MJ, Dolphin CT, Zhang Z, Gems D. A parthenogenetic quasi-program causes teratoma-like tumors during aging in wild-type C. elegans. NPJ Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, 2018 Jun 13;4:6.
• Zhao Y, Gilliat AF, Ziehm M, Turmaine M, Wang H, Ezcurra M, Yang C, Phillips G, McBay D, Zhang WB, Partridge L, Pincus Z, Gems D. Two forms of death in ageing Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature Communications, 2017 May 23;8:15458.

Contact Details

Office direct line: +44 (0)1582 287479

E-mail address: yuan.zhao@beds.ac.uk

Other References

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-yuan-zhao/