Team | Bing Yang lab @ Purdue University

Meet the Team

Bing Yang

Assistant Professor

I got my Ph.D. degree from Syracuse University working on histone modification enzymes in C. elegans under the supervision of Dr. Eleanor Maine. I then joined the laboratory of Dr. Katherine McJunkin at NIH for my postdoctoral training on miRNA biology. Currently, my lab aims to understand the mechanisms of RNA processing specificity.

Fun fact: Pickleball is now my favorite sport.

Jacob Penola

Undergraduate researcher

Hi! I'm Jake Penola, and I am from Zionsville, IN. I am a sophomore on a pre-med track studying biology. I joined this lab during the spring semester of my sophomore year.

Fun fact: my dream job as a kid was a mailman.

Chang Liu

Graduate Student (co-mentored with Dr. Yini Li)

Hi! I'm Chang Liu, and I am from China. I am a first-year PhD student in Biological Science. My project examines potential LLPS of Microprocessor in iPSC.

Fun fact: I have a cat and a dog who grew up together—my dog even plays with a laser pointer.

Jayati Pathak

Rotation student

Hi! I’m Jayati Pathak, and I am from India. I am a first-year graduate student in Department of Biological Sciences. I have been in the lab since January 2026 and am working on understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate miRNA biogenesis.

Fun fact: I’ve accepted that “just one more experiment” is a lifestyle, not a sentence.