Ellen Yeh

Ellen Yeh, MD PhD is Associate Professor at Stanford University with expertise in endosymbioses, organelle biology, and cell evolution in non-model eukaryotes. A physician-scientist, she began her research career studying parasitic protists that cause malaria and other infectious diseases. Motivated by the potential of biology to address sustainability, she revamped her research program to focus on environmental microorganisms with the goal of leveraging basic discovery for biotechnology applications. Her research lab investigates nitrogen-fixing endosymbioses in microalgae to understand the underlying cell evolution which, in turn, can serve as blueprints for bioengineering nitrogen-fixing plants to replace environmentally harmful synthetic fertilizers. She has a strong track record of innovative, high-risk/high-reward research tackling challenging questions in eukaryotic cell biology using interdisciplinary approaches.

February 2025