Meet Qi Yang - Marine Virologist

Qi Yang is a PhD student in Dr. Curtis Suttle’s lab, also known as the Marine Molecular Microbiology and Virology Lab, at the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia. She is interested in finding viruses in the ocean that infect protists for which viruses are unknown and in the role of the viruses in marine ecosystems and nutrient cycles. She aims to isolate a virus that infects ecologically important marine protists and characterize the virus in terms of genome, phylogeny, and diversity in natural environments. Before joining EOAS, Qi received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology at the Ocean University of China. Beyond her research, Qi is passionate about communicating science, such as engaging with people in different disciplines of Earth Sciences and reaching out to broad audiences.