#TeamYokota


I have had the privilege of mentoring many students throughout my scientific / academic career, thus far. As I set out to develop my own research program, I am excited to fine-tune my mentoring style and enhance it with the cardinals of accessibility, equity, diversity and integrity.

#News/Updates

May, 2025

Proud moment for me! My amazing undergraduate mentee, Varshini, graduates with a Bachelors from NYU! She did a brilliant job presenting her work at the annual poster presentations at NYU downtown. Onwards and forwards, V!

January 2025

Payal gives a lecture on how to kick-start STEM career to middle schoolers and highschoolers in local NJ school

December, 2024

Congratulations to former #TeamYokota mentee, Dr. Haeree Park Lang on finishing her PhD at University of Mionnesota. Haeree is back at the clinic to finish up the DVM part of her training. One of the brightest students I’ve ever had the honor to mentor. GO Haeree!!

Read Haeree’s fantastic review on CD4+ T cell differentiation and diversity in dogs


Current and Past Mentees

Affiliation: NYU Langone Health (as a postdoc)


Varshini Vimal
(Class of 2025, NYU)

Project:
Investigate the role of lung-resident macrophages during infection and homeostasis using transgenic mouse model

Major: Biology
Aspirations: Medical school
Fun Fact: Singing, classically trained

Awards: NYU Dean’s Undergrad Research Fellowship (DURF), 2024-2025.


Junsung Kimura (
Class of 2026, NYU)

Project:
Investigating the ontogeny and maintenance of lung-resident macrophages

Major: Chemistry and Mathematics
Aspirations: Undetermined between Medical school or graduate school

 

Affiliation: University of Massachusetts, Amherst (as a graduate student)

Haeree Park Lang

Mentored: 2016-2018
(Umass-Amherst)

Current affiliation: Graduate student, Univ of Minnesota (DVM/PhD track)

Kate Wilson, DVM

Mentored: 2015-2016
(Umass-Amherst)

Current affiliation:
Veterinarian

Alex Wesselhoeft, PhD

Mentored: 2013-2014
(Umass-Amherst)

Current affiliation:
Orna Therapeutics (Founder & Director)

Alexandria Gillespie, PhD

Mentored: 2012-2014
(Umass-Amherst)

Current affiliation:
Scientist,
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals