Team

Charmaine C.M. YUNG
Assistant Professor

I am interested in understanding how environmental factors and anthropogenic activities influence microbial structure and functioning. I also study algal viral ecology and genomics.

I obtained my B.Sc. degree in Biology from HKUST in 2009, M.Phil degree in Environmental Microbiology from the University of Hong Kong in 2012 and Ph.D. degree in Marine Science and Conservation from Duke University in 2016. Before joining HKUST, I was a postdoctoral scholar at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institue from Jul 2016 through Dec 2018 and GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel from Jan 2019 through Jun 2019.

Dr. Weizhi SONG Research Assistant Professor

Weizhi (pronounced “whizz~”) joined our lab in December 2025. He obtained his PhD in Bioinformatics and Microbial Ecology at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, in 2019. After that, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at UNSW (from 2019 to 2023) and moved to HKUST as a Research Assistant Professor in 2023. His research explores the origin, evolution, and adaptation of animal–microbe symbioses using bioinformatic and phylogenomic approaches, with marine sponges and corals as his main model systems.

Dr. Wenqian XU
Postdoctoral researcher

Dr. Wenqian XU obtained her B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from NJUST in 2017 and her Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from CQU in 2020. She completed her PhD at HKUST in August 2025, with her thesis titled “From Genome-Resolved Microbiomes to Multitrophic Ecosystems: Multi-omics Insights into Dynamics, Interactions, and Resilience in Subtropical Coastal Waters.” Wenqian aspires to become a technical diver to explore the ocean firsthand.

Yangbing XU
Postdoctoral researcher

Yangbing joined the Yung Lab in spring 2020. He received his B.Sc. in Aquaculture from Ocean University of China in 2019. Prior to arrival at HKUST, he worked as a research assistant in studying dinoflagellates. He is attracted by marine microbes as they have “tiny size but great roles”. He hopes to uncover their diversity and functions in the marine environment

Ruixian Sun
Ph.D. student

Ruixian earned her BS. in Marine Science from Sun Yat-sen University in 2021. From 2021 to 2024, she pursued her M.Phil. in the Yung Lab, specializing in bioinformatics analysis of marine viromes and their host interactions. Expanding on this expertise, Ruixian will conduct her doctoral research investigating the ecological dynamics and genomic adaptations of marine mixotrophic eukaryotes..

Yijin WANG
Ph.D. Student

Yijin obtained his BSc in Marine Science from Zhejiang University in 2020 and Master degree in Marine Science from Guangxi University in 2024. He aspires to explore the interactions between marine phytoplankton, bacteria, and viruses, and unravel their responses to global environmental changes under the influences of anthropogenic activities.

Yongqi TANG
Ph.D. Student

Yongqi obtained her B.Sc. in Environmental Ecological Engineering from Chongqing University in 2022 and M.Sc. in Ecology from Nankai University in 2025. She is starting her PhD studies at HKUST in Fall 2025 as an honorable recipient of the HKPFS. Her research will focus on marine microbial interactions and their adaptive strategies to nutrient limitation.

Tom Kwok Lun HUI
Ph.D. Student

Tom obtained a BSc. and MPhil. in Biology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2018 and 2024 respectively, with research focused on the host-microbiome interactions in coastal crab species of various dietary lifestyles. With growing interest on microbial interactions, Tom joined the Yung Lab in 2025 to further the investigation on the algal-viral dynamics under changing environmental conditions.

Taylor Ming Wai LI
MPhil student

Taylor joined the Yung Lab in Fall 2023 as an undergraduate student to complete her final year project.  After graduating with a BSc in Ocean Science and Technology from HKUST, she decided to pursue her MPhil under the joint supervision of Dr. Yung and Dr. Masayuki Ushio. Taylor’s research focuses on applying environmental DNA (eDNA) technology to marine community and ecosystem management, with a particular emphasis on fish populations. She is passionate about exploring the potential of eDNA in fisheries management and conservation, aiming to contribute to more sustainable practices in marine ecosystems.

Yi ZHANG
MPhil student

Zhang Yi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Ecology from Beijing Normal University (2025), with undergraduate research experience in marine mammal gut microbiota and crop diseases control through fungal-bacterial interactions. He currently focuses on investigating the spatiotemporal dynamics of microbial communities in aquatic environments using genomic technologies.

Shara Ka Kiu LEUNG
Research Assistant

Shara’s journey with the Yung Lab began in Spring 2021 as a student helper. After earning her BSc in Environmental Science from HKUST, she transitioned to a Research Assistant role. She completed her MPhil thesis in January 2025, titled “Genomic and Ecological Characterization of Novel Ostreococcus Clade E and Its Associated Prasinoviruses from Hong Kong Coastal Waters“. Shara currently works as a Research Assistant, maintaining the culture collection and continuing her research on isolating Prasinoviruses.