​​Yuhan Zhang​​, a native of Beijing, China’s capital, spent his first 18 years in the city before pursuing his undergraduate studies at Sichuan University. Under the mentorship of Prof. Qun Sun and Prof. Mingchun Liu, he completed research projects spanning genetic engineering of wild-type Escherichia coli and transcriptional regulation during tomato fruit ripening. He further served as a research assistant in Prof. Sun’s lab for 1.5 years, co-leading investigations into the rapid flowering mechanism of Epiphyllum oxypetalum, the dynamic of its floral volatile, and the molecular basis of its terpenoid explosive biosynthesis.

Driven by a passion for synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, Yuhan is now a master’s student in the lab of Prof. Kyle J. Lauersen at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). 

His current research focuses on advancing genetic engineering in Cyanidioschyzon merolae, aiming to fully unlock its potential as a ​​photoautotrophic chassis organism​​ for synthetic biology applications, particularly in ​​secondary metabolism optimization​​ and sustainable bioproduction.