Dr. Huaiying Zhang

Biography

Dr. Huaiying Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. She earned her Ph.D. from McGill University and has completed postdoctoral fellowships at Dartmouth College, Princeton University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on the phase transition processes of liquid-liquid demixing, which play a crucial role in organizing proteins and RNAs in cellular compartments. Zhang's work aims to unravel how these processes contribute to cellular functions in healthy cells and how misregulation can lead to cancer. She is also developing synthetic organelles inspired by cellular mechanisms to create new therapeutic strategies targeting phase transitions in cancer cells. Using advanced biophysical characterization techniques, such as microrheology and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, she investigates the material properties and chemical composition of liquid organelles. Her recent publications explore topics such as telomere clustering in cancer cells and the impact of phase separation on cellular processes. Zhang's innovative research combines experimental and theoretical approaches to develop cancer therapies that manipulate telomere synthesis and phase behavior.

Research Interests

Experience