Yaofang Zhang, Ph.D.

Former Research Scientist in Skaar Lab

Yaofang received her B.S. in Applied Chemistry in 2002 and then obtained M.S in Green Chemical Technology with a concentration in metal-organic chemistry in 2005 from University of Shantou, China. She received her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from University of Cincinnati under the direction of Dr. Joseph A. Caruso. Her thesis focused on investigating metalloid and metal containing species in various biological systems including virus, cerebrospinal fluid and cells, by using comprehensive metallomics techniques. In January 2012, she joined the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University as a Staff Scientist to help establish the elemental imaging and analysis with laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) at the Mass Spectrometry Research Center (MSRC). Yaofang brings expertise in elemental spatial imaging, elemental speciation profiling and qualitative /quantitative elemental analysis.