Yongyi completed her undergraduate and masters degrees at Sun Yat-sen University in marine biology, focusing on the evolutionary trajectories of microorganisms and their viruses in deep-sea cold seep sediments. At SAEF, she will study multi-trophic interactions in Antarctic soils, particularly intra-bacterial warfare and bacteria-phage interactions. This research aims to deliver results addressing SAEF objectives regarding biodiversity and biogeography (particularly for viruses); climate change consequences; and the energy budget for Antarctic life.