Lingchong You

Professor of Biomedical Engineering

The You lab uses a combination of mathematical modeling, machine learning, and quantitative experiments to elucidate principles underlying the dynamics of microbial communities in time and space and to control these dynamics for applications in computation, engineering, and medicine.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • James L. Meriam Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
  • Professor of Biomedical Engineering
  • Director of the Center for Quantitative Biology and Machine Learning
  • Professor in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

Contact Information

Education

  • B.S.E. Chengdu University of Science and Technology (China), 1994
  • M.S. University of Science and Technology of China (China), 1997
  • Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2002

Research Interests

Quantitative biology, synthetic biology, machine learning, antibiotic resistance, microbiome

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Fellow. American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. 2019
  • Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program. National Science Foundation. 2010
  • Young Professor Award. DuPont. 2008
  • Fellowships for Science and Engineering. David and Lucile Packard Foundation. 2006

Courses Taught

  • MGM 593: Research Independent Study
  • EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
  • CBB 574: Modeling and Engineering Gene Circuits (GE, MC)
  • BME 792: Continuation of Graduate Independent Study
  • BME 791: Graduate Independent Study
  • BME 713S: QBio Seminar Series
  • BME 590: Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering
  • BME 574: Modeling and Engineering Gene Circuits (GE, MC)
  • BME 493: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
  • BME 394: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Şimşek, Emrah, César A. Villalobos, Kinshuk Sahu, Zhengqing Zhou, Nan Luo, Dongheon Lee, Helena R. Ma, Deverick J. Anderson, Charlotte T. Lee, and Lingchong You. “Spatial proximity dictates bacterial competition and expansion in microbial communities.” Nat Commun 16, no. 1 (December 4, 2025): 10885. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65892-9.
  • Zhou, Zhengqing, Irida Shyti, Jaemin Kim, and Lingchong You. “Predicting population dynamics of antimicrobial resistance using mechanistic modeling and machine learning.” Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 225 (October 2025): 115661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2025.115661.
  • Duda, Addison M., Helena R. Ma, César A. Villalobos, Sophia A. Kuhn, Sarah S. Angle, Katherine He, Abigail C. Jackson, et al. “An Engineered Prodrug Selectively Suppresses β-Lactam-Resistant Bacteria in a Mixed Microbial Setting.” ACS Infect Dis 11, no. 7 (July 11, 2025): 1956–67. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00179.
  • Maddamsetti, Rohan, Irida Shyti, Maggie L. Wilson, Hye-In Son, Yasa Baig, Zhengqing Zhou, Jia Lu, and Lingchong You. “Scaling laws of bacterial and archaeal plasmids.” Nature Communications 16, no. 1 (July 2025): 6023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61205-2.
  • Maddamsetti, Rohan, and Lingchong You. “The Abundance of Viroid-Like RNA Obelisk-S.s in Streptococcus sanguinis SK36 May Suffice for Evolutionary Persistence.” Journal of Molecular Evolution 93, no. 3 (June 2025): 370–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10250-y.