Junyao Gu is a 5th-year Ph.D. candidate in Marine Science and Conservation at Dr. Zackary Johnson's lab. She is interested in using a variety of approaches including computational, DNA, qPCR, and bioinformatics tools to investigate the diversity and dynamics of microbial communities, focusing on marine cyanobacteria and their role in the ocean environment, the relationship among them and biogeochemical cycles, climate change, health risks, and help formulate environmental policies that protect human and ecosystem health. 

She is also part of the Seas the Day Podcast team.

Before coming to Duke, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and a Bachelor of Laws degree in Law from Jilin University, China in 2017. She graduated with a Master’s degree from the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University in 2019, where she found her deep love for exploring the tiny mysterious microbial world and had a wonderful time doing research in Dr. Sarah Preheim's lab.