#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)
Mentored: 2016-2018
(Umass-Amherst)
Current affiliation: Graduate student, Univ of Minnesota (DVM/PhD track)
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