Yu Ji

Postdoctoral researcher

Yu is interested in how human-specific cis-regulatory elements regulate gene expression during development, contributing to the evolution of uniquely human traits such as face and limb morphology. One such element, HACNS1, functions as a human-specific enhancer in the developing limb bud and pharyngeal arches. Using a humanized mouse model, Yu studies how HACNS1 regulates chondrogenic differentiation in human evolution.

Yu earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Davis in 2021. During his graduate studies, he explored the role of Wnt signaling in determining the fate of neural crest cells.