Meet the Principal Investigator
Chen Yao, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Yao received her Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota under the supervision of Daniel Kaplan. She completed her postdoctoral training with John O’Shea at the National Institute of Health. Dr. Yao joined the Department of Immunology and the Kidney Cancer Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2021. Dr. Yao is an awardee of the NIAID New Innovators Awards (DP2) and the CPRIT First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty Scholar Award.
Meet the Lab Members
Safuwra Wizzard
PhD Candidate
Safuwra graduated from the University of California Merced in 2020 with a BS in Human Biology and a BA in Psychology. Based on her personal and research experiences, she has ascertained a career in Immunology and aspire to independently perform clinically relevant research. When she's not in lab, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, looking after her plants, and traveling.
Kiddist Yihunie
PhD Candidate
Kiddist graduated from Texas Tech University with a M.S. in Microbiology in August 2021, focusing on the temperature-dependent physiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. She joined Yao Lab as a research assistant/lab manager in September 2021 and has r as a PhD student with an interest in cancer immunology and host immune response during chronic infections. Outside of the lab, she likes playing video games, baking, and spending time with her cat Rohan.
Ziang Zhu
PhD Candidate
Ziang was born in China, where he completed his undergraduate studies at East China University of Science and Technology. He obtained his master's degree from Georgetown University. Currently, he is a Ph.D. student in the UTSW Immunology graduate program, focusing on studying T-cell immunology.
Kerelos Shehata
PhD Student
Kerelos grew up in Boston and received his undergraduate degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from Northeastern University. After graduating, he worked at a biotechnology company developing iPSC-derived "off the shelf" CAR-T cell therapies. As a PhD student in the cancer biology graduate program, he is interested in researching novel strategies to enhance immune responses in solid tumors. Outside of the lab, Kerelos enjoys lifting weights, golf, tennis, and catching up with friends and family.
Jonathan Hoar
Research Assistant
Jonathan graduated from Texas A&M University in 2023 with a B.S. in Biology and minors in Psychology and Bioinformatics. During his undergraduate research, he focused on the interplay of IGF-1 within the gut-brain axis, exploring its impact in the context of traumatic brain injury. He is interested in neuro-imm research, and he aims to accumulate expertise in immunology and cancer studies before pursuing a PhD. When he’s not in the lab, he enjoys watching movies, spending time with his cat Ally, and catching up with friends.
Christina (‘Kris’) Dollinger
Research Assistant
Christina graduated from the University of Houston with an M.A. in Bio-Medical Anthropology. She has two first-author papers: “Cameras as Cultural Stressors in Changing the Immune System: Implications for NASA’s Astronaut Program” and “Nanometer Condensate Organization in Live Cells Derived from Partitioning Measurements.” She is interested in pursuing a PhD exploring the connection between the immune system and neurodegeneration in ALS. In her free time, she enjoys writing fantasy/post-apocalyptic novels, creating manga, playing video games, and playing her harp.