Yujia Liu

Email: rdfliu@uchicago.edu
Contact address: 900 E 57th St. KCBD 10220A, Chicago, IL 60637
EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
2021–
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Advisor: Prof. Michael Rust
M.Phil. in Computational Biology, with Distinction
2020–2021
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Advisor: Prof. James Locke
Thesis: Modeling the Dynamics of Bacterial Alternative Sigma Factors and Their Competition
B.Eng. in Bioengineering, Honors Science Program
2016–2020
Xian Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
Advisor: Profs. Xiaoyun Lu & Tielin Yang
Exchange program
2018
University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Advisor: Prof. Adam Arkin
PREPRINTS
An underlying bistability sets amplitude and explains temperature compensation in the cyanobacterial circadian clock
Yujia Liu*, Gopal K. Pattanayak*, Chris Chi, Helen Yoo, Aaron R. Dinner, Michael J. Rust.
bioRxiv, 2026; doi: 10.64898/2026.05.03.722537. Under review.
PUBLICATIONS
Before PhD
Mixed positive and negative feedback loops drive diverse single-cell gene expression dynamics
Torkel E. Loman, Christian P. Schwall, Teresa Saez, Yujia Liu, James C. W. Locke.
Nature Communications, 2026; doi: 10.1101/2025.01.14.632931. In press.
Lactuchelins represent lipopeptide siderophores produced by Pseudomonas lactucae that inhibit Xanthomonas campestris
Guillaume Chesneau, Alba Noel, Dimitri Bréard, Alice Boulanger, Martial Briand, Sophie Bonneau, Chrystelle Brin, Marion Fischer-Le Saux, Yujia Liu, Andrew Hendrickson, Torben Nielsen, Alain Sarniguet, David Guilet, Adam Arkin, Lauren Lui, Matthieu Barret.
ISME Journal, January 2026; doi: 10.1093/ismejo/wrag003.
PRESENTATIONS
An underlying bistability sets amplitude and explains temperature compensation in the cyanobacterial circadian clock
Upcoming talk at the Chicago qBio Conference
Lightning talk at the SRBR Biennial Meeting
Amelia island, FL. 2026
Reconstitution of feedback architectures in the cyanobacterial clock that allow growth tolerance
Talk at the Winter qBio Conference
Maui, HI. 2026
Biological oscillator designs that allow growth-independent period
Poster at the Stochastic Physics in Biology GRC
Ventura, CA. 2025
Talk at the ASCB-EMBO Cell Bio Annual Meeting
San Diego, CA. 2024
TEACHING & MENTORING
Mentored Townes Robertson (Loras College). Characterizing the dynamics of mixed KaiC period mutants
Summer 2025
National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology Undergraduate Research Program
Summer 2024
Mentored Helen Yoo (Bradley University). Calculating temperature-compensated limit cycles
Biological Dynamics BIOS 20236
Spring 2024
Teaching assistant. With Profs. Edwin Munro and Michael Rust
Advance undergraduate course with computer lab
Nucleic Acid Structure and Function BCMB 30600
Autumn 2023
Teaching assistant. With Profs. Phoebe Rice and Jingyi Fei
Introductory graduate level course
HONORS & AWARDS
Robert Haselkorn Fellowship
2025
Dean's International Student Fellowship
2022
University of Chicago
Outstanding Bachelor's Thesis
2020
Presidential Scholarship
2019
Xian Jiaotong University