Kai Yang
- Email: fsky@leeds.ac.uk
- Thesis title: Developing an in vitro model of the small intestinal microbiome as a tool to enable rational selection of efficacious probiotics
- Supervisors: Professor Kieran Tuohy, Dr Mark Hopkins, Dr Anthony Buckley
Profile
I am a first-year Ph.D. student at the University of Leeds, School of Food Science and Nutrition in the field of probiotics and gut microbiota. I take an active role in the groups. After my bachelor's degree in Food Engineering and Science Department at Hunan Agriculture University, China, I completed my MSc entitled 'Ohmic heating and ultrasound for inactivation in fruit juice' in 2020 at the University of Birmingham in Chemistry Engineering Department. I returned to China for three years where I worked in a food research institute and a health food company engaged in probiotic-related research. I started my Ph.D. studies in October 2023.
Research interests
My research interests mainly focus on probiotics and gut microbiota (small intestinal microbiota). The gut microbiota has received increasing attention in recent years, and the ecological balance of the gut microbiota is closely related to the health of the host. My PhD project aims to develop an in vitro model of the human small intestinal microbiota and investigate whether probiotics mediate health effects through the small intestine by modulating gut metabolites like short-chain fatty acids and bile acids.
Qualifications
- BSc, Food Science and Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University
- MSc, Food Safety, Hygiene and Management, University of Birmingham