Yueyi completed her PhD in 2024 at the University of Liverpool, where she studied how a prophage can contribute the fitness and virulence of its bacterial host. She found that some phages can âkidnapâ the host using tiny bits of DNA, making the bacteria do what they want. However, bacteria arenât just passive victimsâthey have multiple defense systems to stop phages and other Mobile Genetic Elements from controlling them. The microbial world is full of surprises, like a detective novel where one clever trap might hide another. In her current research in the Taylor lab, she is looking into how these defense systems get triggered and how they work together at the molecular level. By uncovering these hidden strategies, Yueyi feels like she flipping to the next unseen page of the story. Connect with Yueyi on @wuzeichuan or @yueyicai.bsky.social.