Home > Faculty > Current Faculty > Tenure-track faculty

Yi Lin Ph.D.

Associate Professor

2005-2009 Jiangnan University, China／B.E.
2009-2014 Marquette University, USA／Ph.D.
2014-2020 University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA／Postdoctoral Fellow
2020-2023 School of Life Sciences Tsinghua University, China / Assistant Professor
2024-present School of Life Sciences Tsinghua University, China /Associate Professor
2020-present IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua University & Peking-Tsinghua Joint Center for Life Sciences，China / Principal Investigator

● Research interest：

Yi Lin’s research focuses on the mechanisms of bio macromolecular phase separation and its relevance to neurodegenerative diseases. She investigates the mechanisms and physiological and pathological functions of phase separation from multiple perspectives, including sequence, structure, and regulation.

Yi Lin's laboratory is aimed at deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of membrane-less organelles within cells, understanding specific phase separation events in the nervous system and their significant physiological implications, and aiming to develop artificial interventions to regulate abnormal phase transitions in pathological states for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Her laboratory has established a solid research foundation in the field of phase separation mechanisms and disease-related research. A series of published research findings have elucidated the dynamic regulatory mechanisms of phase separation in various cellular processes, such as circadian rhythm and neuronal differentiation.

● Selected publications：

1. Shiming He^#, Shi Wang^#, Yi Lin*. Biomolecular phase separation research: Milestones, insights, and future trajectories. Science Bulletin. 2024; 69(30):4486-4499. (Review)

2. Liang Yang^#, Jiali Lyu^#, Xi Li^#, Gaigai Guo^#, Xueya Zhou, Taoyu Chen, Yi Lin*, Tingting Li*. Phase separation as a possible mechanism for dosage sensitivity. Genome Biology. 2024 Jan 15; 25(1):17.

3. Songhao Zhang^#, Gaofeng Pei^#, Boya Li^#, Pilong Li*, Yi Lin*. Abnormal phase separation of biomacromolecules in human diseases. Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica. 2023 Jul 21; 55(7), 1133-1152. (Review)

4. Yanrong Zhuang^#, Zhiyuan Li^#, Shiyue Xiong^#, Chujie Sun#, Boya Li, Shuangcheng Alivia Wu, Jiali Lyu, Xiang Shi, Liang Yang, Yutong Chen, Zhangbin Bao, Xi Li, Chuhanwen Sun, Yuling Chen, Haiteng Deng, Tingting Li, Qingfeng Wu, Ling Qi, Yue Huang, Xuerui Yang*, Yi Lin*. Circadian clocks are modulated by compartmentalized oscillating translation. Cell. 2023 Jul 20; 186(15):3245-3260.e23.

5. Shuangcheng Alivia Wu, Chenchen Shen, Xiaoqiong Wei, Xiawei Zhang, Siwen Wang, Xinxin Chen, Mauricio Torres, You Lu, Liangguang Leo Lin, Huilun Helen Wang, Allen H Hunter, Deyu Fang, Shengyi Sun, Magdalena I Ivanova, Yi Lin*, Ling Qi*. The mechanisms to dispose of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum of adipocytes. Nat Commun. 2023 May 30;14(1):3132.

6. Hongyao Sun^#, Yutong Chen^#, Kun Yan, Yanqiu Shao, Qiangfeng C Zhang, Yi Lin*, Qiaoran Xi*. Recruitment of TRIM33 to cell-context specific PML nuclear bodies regulates nodal signaling in mESCs. The Embo Journal. 2023 Feb 1; 42(3): e112058.

7. Yifei Gao^#, Xi Li^#, Pilong Li*, Yi Lin*. A brief guideline for studies of phase-separated biomolecular condensates. Nature Chemical Biology. 2022 Nov 18; 18(12):1307-1318. (Review)

8. Xiang Shi^#, Yanrong Zhuang^#, Zhenhua Chen, Mingrui Xu, Junqi Kuang, Xue-Lian Sun, Lisen Gao, Xia Kuang, Huairen Zhang, Wei Li, Samuel Zheng Hao Wong, Chuanyu Liu, Longqi Liu, Danhua Jiang, Duanqing Pei, Yi Lin*, QingFeng Wu*. Hierarchical deployment of Tbx3 dictates the identity of hypothalamic KNDy neurons to control puberty onset. Science Advances. 2022 Nov 16; 8(46): eabq2987.

9. Yi Lin*, Xiaofeng Fang*. Phase separation in RNA biology. Journal of Genetics and Genomics. 2021 Oct 20;48(10):872-880. (Review)

● Award：

Asian Young Scientist Fellowship (2024)

Academic achievement award for female scientists, Biophysical Society of China (2023)

● Contact information：

Tel: 010-62798206

E-mail：linyi@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

Address：Biomedical Building Room B205, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, 100084