Please join us on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 for the Pierce Seminar at 4 PM in Room 1-131 with Prof. Jing Yan (Yale University). 

Abstract Title: Single-cell Imaging of Microbial Communities across Different Spatial and Temporal Scales

Abstract: 

Biofilm is an important lifestyle of bacteria where bacterial cells collectively form surface-associated aggregates embedded in a polymeric matrix they secrete. Important in industry and medicine, biofilms also represent a unique form of growing active matter with unique physical and material properties. In this talk, I will highlight our recent work on developing a platform for imaging live, growing biofilm at single-cell resolution, using Vibrio cholerae as the model organism. I will show how bacterial cells physically communicate with each other and the environment to form ordered architecture reminiscent of nematic liquid crystals. Moreover, I will talk about our recent discovery that heterogeneity in gene expression leads to unexpected pattern formation in biofilm through a drag-based sorting mechanism. I will also highlight ongoing research in the lab on extending the imaging capability to more natural environments including marine animal hosts. I will end by showing our recent findings on the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix that underlie the architecture of the biofilm.

Bio:

Jing Yan is currently an Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and a member of the Quantitative Biology Institute (Qbio) at Yale. Originally from Shanghai, he obtained his B.S. degree from the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering at Peking University in China with a focus on organic synthesis. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Working with Steve Granick, he developed novel reconfigurable, active colloidal materials during his Ph.D. In 2014, he moved to Princeton and transitioned to microbiology and quantitative biology as a joint postdoctoral fellow in the department of Molecular Biology and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Working with Bonnie Bassler, Howard Stone, and Ned Wingreen, he studied bacterial biofilms with an interdisciplinary approach. His current lab focuses on using biophysical and biochemical approaches to understand the mechanism of biofilm formation as well as the role of biofilms in ecology and infections. He has received multiple awards, including the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, Sloan Fellowship, and Simons foundation award on Early Career Investigator in Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Evolution.