I am a biologist with interests in almost every aspect of life science. I was equipped with general biological knowledge and generated broad interests in biological research during my undergraduate education at Northeast Forestry University in China. Later on, I joined a lab focusing on plant development in the same institute as a Master's student and focused on light-regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis for three years.

In order to experience a different field of biological research, I went to Tsinghua University as a research assistant working on the structural biology of cytoskeleton-associated proteins. The experience of working in different fields intrigues me to move further and investigate more interesting biological phenomena, hence my decision to enroll in the Ph.D. program of BioScience in KAUST. Currently, my focus is on decoding the molecular mechanism underlying cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.

• Host-dependent nitrogen recycling as a mechanism of symbiont control in Aiptasia 
  G. Cui, Yi Jin Liew, Y. Li, N. Kharbatia, N.I. Zahran, A.-H. Emwas, V.M. Eguiluz, M. Arand...
  PLoS Genet, 15(6): e1008189, (2019)
• DNA methylation regulates transcriptional homeostasis of algal endosymbiosis in the coral model Aiptasia 
  Y. Li, Yi Jin Liew, G. Cui, M.J. Cziesielski, N. Zahran, C.T. Michell, C.R. Voolstra and M...
  Science Advances, volume 4, no. 8, eaat2142, (2018)
• Epigenome-associated phenotypic acclimatization to ocean acidification in a reef-building coral 
  Yi Jin Liew, D. Zoccola, Y. Li, E. Tambutté, A.A. Venn, C.T. Michell, G. Cui, E.S. Deuteko...
  Science Advances, volume 4, number 6, (2018)
• Multi-omics analysis of thermal stress response in a zooxanthellate cnidarian reveals the importance of associating... 
  M.J. Cziesielski, Yi Jin Liew, G. Cui, S. Schmidt-Roach, S. Campana, C. Marondedze, M. Ara...
  Proceedings of the royal society B, Biological sciences, (2018)
• Recent expansion of heat-activated retrotransposons in the coral symbiont Symbiodinium microadriaticum 
  J.E. Chen, G. Cui, X. Wang, Y.J. Liew and M. Aranda
  The ISME Journal, (2017)

• ​Ph.D., Bioscience, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, 2018
  
• Master of Science, Developmental Biology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China, 2008 – 2011
• Bachelor of Science, Biotechnology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China, 2004 - 2008​

• 2021-Present: Research Scientist, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
• 2018 - 2021: Postdoctoral Fellow, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia​​
• 2011 – 2013: Research Assistant, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China​

• ​Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)
  

• Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE)