Juntao Yu, Ph.D.

Juntao Yu is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Yukiko Yamashita’s laboratory at Whitehead Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). His current research aims to understand the mechanism of asymmetric chromosome inheritance for germline homeostasis and immortality.

Juntao received his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University under the mentorship of Dr. Danesh Moazed. His Ph.D. thesis uncovered a new mechanism of replisome-mediated parental histone inheritance during DNA replication for epigenetic inheritance of heterochromatin. 

Before Harvard, Juntao earned his B.S. in Biology with honor from the University of Science and Technology of China. As an undergraduate research student in Dr. Bing Ren’s Lab at the University of California, San Diego, he contributed to a study to identify distal cis regulatory elements for transcriptional activation of pluripotency gene OCT4/POU5F1 in human embryonic stem cells.

Juntao's long-term goal in research is to understand how biological information is encoded in biomacromolecules and cellular circuits to achieve various biological functions through creative studies. By uncovering this fundamental principle of life, he wishes to translate his scientific discoveries into biomedicine and benefit humanity. As a scientist, he strongly believes in and is committed to mentoring next-generation scientists and empowering them to contribute to the future of life sciences in the best version of themselves.

Contact

Juntao Yu, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Yamashita Lab

Whitehead Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

455 Main Street, 

Cambridge, MA 02142

Email: juntao.yu AT wi.mit.edu