Dr. Zulin Yu joined the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in 2008 as a postdoctoral researcher before joining the Microscopy Technology Center in 2010. He was appointed Manager of Light Microscopy in 2021. In 2023, he was promoted to Head of Light Microscopy. He earned a B.S. in physics from Nankai University in 2003 before completing his Ph.D. at the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. During his Ph.D., he focused on investigating the neural foundation of acoustic communication in noisy environments. This work was recognized with the Second-Class Prize of the National Natural Science Award of China in 2012. Upon joining the Stowers microscopy team, he has embraced and advanced the use of cutting-edge light microscopy technologies—particularly super-resolution microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging—to support biological discovery through a variety of collaborative projects.
Dr. Chongbei Zhao graduated from Zhengzhou University with an M.D. She earned her Ph.D. in veterinary pathobiology from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and followed that with a two-year Science Manager Certification from the University of Kansas. She joined the Stowers Institute in 2012 as a Research Coordinator. In 2019, she became Head of the Cells, Tissues, and Organoids Center, and the next year took over management of Media Preparation. In 2023, she is now leading Genome Engineering, serving as Head of three Technology Centers at the Institute. In 2024, she was appointed Director of Cellular, Tissue, and Molecular Biology. With nearly 20 years of experience in cell biology, including 3D organoid culture, primary cell culture, virus work, and gene editing, she collaborates with Stowers researchers to develop new projects and technologies in the field of cell biology.
