CID Lab @ Yale

The Computational Imaging and Discovery Lab (CID Lab) will launch at the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University in Fall 2026. We develop theories, algorithms, and software at the intersection of cryo-electron microscopy and tomography, deep learning, and structural biology, turning noisy imaging data into quantitative biological discoveries.

Research interests

We ask how cryo-electron microscopy and tomography (cryo-EM/ET) can uncover the molecular mechanisms of disease and accelerate the discovery of new therapies. Our work combines imaging physics, statistical inference, and machine learning to push cryo-EM into previously inaccessible regimes of structural biology, enabling the visualization of small, flexible, and transient molecular systems directly inside cells.

• Seeing the unseen — Can we extend cryo-EM to detect the small, flexible, and rare biomolecules that drive disease?
• Biology in the cellular context — How do dynamic molecular machines work in their native environments, and can we map them without purification?
• Cryo-EM for drug discovery — Can cryo-EM directly inform structure-based design for previously inaccessible therapeutic targets?
• Foundation models for structural biology — Can we build AI models that generalize across targets, samples, and imaging conditions?

Join us — multiple openings!

The lab is actively recruiting for Fall 2026 and beyond. We welcome applications at every career stage:

• Postdoctoral fellows — strong background/interests in cryo-EM/ET, machine learning, applied math, structural biology, or scientific computing. Please email Kexin your CV, a short research statements, and contact info for three references.
• PhD students — students interested in doing a PhD in our lab should apply through Yale’s Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) program. If you are already a Yale graduate student and would like to do a rotation with us, please email Kexin directly. We are accepting rotation students for Fall 2026!
• Master’s students — Yale master’s students interested in cryo-EM methods, ML for imaging, or scientific software are encouraged to reach out.
• Undergraduates — Yale undergraduates looking for research experience in computational imaging are welcome to inquire about projects. Email Kexin directly with your CV and a brief note about your interests.