Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center offers an endowed fellowship in microbiome research. This postdoctoral fellowship will be awarded annually to support excellence in microbiome research related to the center's focus areas, including projects involving microbiome connections to gut-brain signaling, immune function, and metabolism.

Application submissions are closed.

Postdoctoral fellow 2026 - 2027

Vivian Yang, PhD; Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics; UCLA College of Life Sciences

Research: Mechanistic study of microfold cells: Epithelial sensors of microbial dysbiosis and mucosal immune homeostasis
Mentor: Gregory P. Donaldson, PhD; Assistant Professor of Medicine; Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases
Funding: $100,000; August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027
Core usage: Gnotobiotics; Microbiome

Dr. Yang is a postdoctoral scholar at UCLA, where she investigates how intestinal epithelial cells detect and respond to luminal cues. She earned her BS in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics from UCLA, where she developed an interest in the mechanisms that maintain cellular homeostasis. She remained at UCLA to pursue a PhD in molecular biology with Dr. Oliver Fregoso, studying the molecular mechanisms underlying viral infection and host cell remodeling. Building on her interest in how host cells adapt to dynamic environments, Dr. Yang joined Dr. Gregory P. Donaldson's lab to characterize the complex interactions between the intestinal epithelium and the mucosal environment. Her current research integrates microbiology, immunology, and cell biology to uncover how epithelial cells process microbial and inflammatory signals, and how disruptions in these pathways contribute to chronic inflammatory disease.