Officers

Dr. Xiang Xue is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of New Mexico (UNM). He has been a member of the SOT and AACT since 2022 and has served the SOT in the following capacities: AACT award committee member, TOXMSDT E-Learning Module Development Team member and mentor. Dr. Xue had also given a “Tiny Tox Talk: A Peek at Faculty Position Interview” at the 2023 SOT Annual meeting. His research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms whereby environmental toxic exposures including metals and microplastics impact intestinal inflammation and colorectal cancer with major funding support from NIH. He has served as an ad hoc grant reviewer many times for domestic agencies including NIH, NSF and DOD, and different European agencies. He has published over 70 papers in journals including Nature Metabolism, Cell Metabolism, Gastroenterology, Autophagy, Advanced Science, Cell Death and Differentiation, Cancer Research, Toxicological Sciences and Toxicology Applied Pharmacology. Dr. Xue’s scientific training began as a graduate student and a pharmaceutical toxicologist investigating Traditional Chinese Medicine-associated nephrotoxicity at Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His education background in clinical, translational, and basic sciences has shaped his current research efforts focusing on disease treatment, prevention and elucidating the molecular mechanisms. His team is spearheading these efforts to explore basic science molecular mechanisms that has clinical and community relevance. Thus, his lab at UNM has provided equal training opportunities for over 30 trainees and scientists over the past 6 years. Finally, his leadership role as the Principal of the New Mexico Chinese School of Arts & Language since 2023 also showcases his dedication to the Chinese community and education.

Dr. Xinrong Chen has over 20 years of toxicology experience spanning the US federal government (US FDA, CPSC), academia, global industry, and consulting. Dr. Chen served as a US government expert toxicologist representative for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guideline development. She is well versed in GLP, ICH, OECD, FDA, EMA, EPA, EFSA, and ECHA regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements. Dr. Chen advises pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on toxicology gap analyses—including carcinogenicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, drug combinations, prodrugs, and metabolites—GLP study design, data interpretation, and support for IND/NDA/BLA submissions and safety-driven pipeline strategies. She also delivers comprehensive risk assessment reports for the chemical industry, environmental evaluations, and occupational safety assessments. In addition, Dr. Chen collaborates closely with CROs on toxicology strategy development, quotation, study conduct, data analysis, and final report generation and amendment.

Dr. Feng Gao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He obtained his dual PhD degree in Crop and Soil Science-Environmental Toxicology and Computational Science from Michigan State University in 2019. Before he joined UCLA, he was a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University Department of Environmental Health Sciences. Dr. Gao’s research focuses on leveraging novel computational methodologies to study the exposure effects on human health. His current research includes: 1) leveraging multi-omics data to study exposure effects on aging, reveal aging dynamics, and develop novel aging clocks; 2) developing novel exposure assessment models for emerging contaminants including VOCs and PFAS; 3) computational toxicology with multi-omics data. Dr. Gao has been a member of SOT since 2023 and actively contributing to both the environmental health/toxicology community as well as machine learning/deep learning community. He has published more than twenty peer-reviewed papers and served as a reviewer for more than fifteen journals and machine learning conferences.

Dr. Chao Ji is a staff scientist at US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At CDC, she applies and develops in silico tools to support public health decisions on environmental health and chemical risk assessments. Her work includes analyzing toxicity data using benchmark dose modeling and providing clear, actionable interpretations and conclusions for the ATSDR Minimal Risk Levels workgroup and the Botanical Safety Consortium. Additionally, she has developed several machine learning and deep learning models for toxicity prediction, contributing to projects such as the collaborative modeling of acute inhalational toxicity by the National Toxicology Program (NTP)'s Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) and the Tox24 Challenge for predicting in vitro activity against transthyretin. She has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to CDC with several accolades, including being named Employee of the Month at the CDC and receiving the Going Extra Mile Award from NCEH/ATSDR for her exceptional leadership in computer modeling efforts. Prior to CDC, she earned her PhD from the University of Miami, followed by postdoctoral training in public health at Indiana University Bloomington. She has been a member of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) since 2020 and has received multiple prestigious awards from SOT, including the Computational Toxicology Yves Alarie Diversity Award in 2023, the John Doull Risk Assessment Endowment Award, and the AACT InnoStar Best Award in 2022. Dr. Ji has published 14 peer-reviewed articles. Chao has also served as a professional mentor for Braven, an organization supporting first-generation college students, where she provides career guidance. Her expertise, experience mentoring students and collaborating with professionals will offer valuable insights for the AACT. Through her career, she has been empowered by many toxicologists in SOT. She looks forward to giving back by contributing to the AACT community and providing future scientists with the necessary support for their career development.

Dr. Xuefei Cao is a non-clinical Principal Scientist at Altria Client Services (ALCS). Before joining ALCS, Dr. Cao was a Research Pharmacologist in the Division of Genetic and Molecular Toxicology at the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) US FDA. After graduating from College of Life Sciences with a bachelor’s degree at Nankai University P.R. China in 1999, she continued her education in biological sciences and received her master’s degree in Biochemistry from University of Cincinnati in 2001 and her PhD in Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences from University of Southern California (USC) in 2005. Dr. Cao extended her training on pharmacology and conducted her postdoctoral research on small molecule anti-cancer drug discovery at USC between 2006 and 2009. In 2009, she was accepted into the FDA Commissioner’s Fellowship as a Commissioner’s Fellow and received training on FDA regulations and conducted research to explore integrative ways to quantitatively assess genotoxicity dose-response relationships for pharmaceutical impurities of the FDA’s concern. Upon completion of her fellowship in 2011, Dr. Cao was retained as a Staff Fellow and later transitioned to the role of Research Pharmacologist in 2015. During her tenure at NCTR, Dr Cao’s research primarily focused on developing innovative in vitro approaches for regulatory assessment of airborne substances, including tobacco smoke, inhalable chemicals, and respiratory pathogens. Through collaborations with FDA Product Centers and the National Institute of Environmental Health Science National Toxicology Program, Dr. Cao led her team and systematically evaluated the regulatory applications of these in vitro approaches. Her projects included the development of an in vitro respiratory test platform, assessment of respiratory toxicity from tobacco smoke and its constituents, as well as aerosols/vapors of active ingredients generated from FDA-regulated products, and evaluation of inter-individual variability in primary cell-based in vitro systems. In November 2022, Dr. Cao joined ALCS as a Principal Scientist II, where she continued her research on in vitro mechanistic assessment of next-generation tobacco products, contributing to tobacco harm reduction efforts. Dr. Cao has published 40 peer-reviewed research articles in leading toxicology journals and contributed to 4 book chapters. She is an active member of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) and the American Society for Cellular and Computational Toxicology (ASCCT). During her time at NCTR, she co-chaired the Exposure Subgroup and participated in the In Vitro-to-In Vivo Extrapolation Subgroup of the ILSI/HESI Genetic Toxicology Technical Committee. Additionally, she represented the US FDA in the OECD Expert Group on Skin/Eye Irritation & Phototoxicity from 2021 to 2022. In 2019, Dr. Cao served on the Award Nomination Committee at the American Association of Chinese in Toxicology (AACT).

Dr. Yunqi An is a toxicologist at Victoria’s Secret & Co., where she specializes in risk assessment, regulatory toxicology, and non-animal safety assessment strategies to support global cosmetic product compliance. She received her doctorate in toxicology from Rutgers University in 2023, where her research focused on DNA damage responses and oxidative stress induced by environmental toxicants. Dr. An has served on award review panels and mentorship activities within the American Association of Chinese in Toxicology (AACT) Special Interest Group, contributing to award evaluations and career development workshops. She is the author/co-author of multiple peer-reviewed publications in molecular toxicology, pharmacology, and environmental health. She has been a member of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) since 2018 and previously served as the AACT Student Representative and contributed through volunteer involvement in AACT programs.

Dr. Yizhong Liu is a Senior Toxicologist at Johnson & Johnson MedTech with professional experience spanning industry, government, and academia. His work focuses on toxicology, biocompatibility, regulatory risk assessment, and advanced in vitro nonanimal models for medical devices and combination products. He is an active member of the Society of Toxicology(SOT) and American Association of Chinese in Toxicology Special Interest Group (AACT) and has previously served in leadership and service roles, including Postdoctoral Representative in the SOT Risk Assessment Specialty Section (RASS), SOT Annual Meeting Session Chair, and Treasurer of a graduate student organization. Dr. Liu has received multiple professional honors, including an award from AACT and recognition from the SOT National Capital Area Chapter and the Medical Device and Combination Product Specialty Section(MDCPSS).

Dr. Yunjia Lai is a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University investigating environmental drivers of aging and Parkinson’s disease. She received her PhD in Environmental Sciences and Engineering in 2021 with Dr. Kun Lu from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Lai’s research focuses on developing analytical and systems-level omics methods to uncover the exposomic basis of disease. Using chemistry/toxicology knowledge and advanced tools such as high-resolution mass spectrometry, her work seeks to achieve a comprehensive and quantitative understanding of how environmental exposures and microbiome interactions mediate disease processes across molecular, cellular, and population levels—and ultimately, enable exposome-informed precision medicine.

Dr. Lai has authored over 42 peer-reviewed publications, with first-author publications appearing in Science Signaling, Nature Communications, Environmental Science & Technology, Environmental Health Perspectives, and Neurology. In recognition of her work, she has received multiple awards, including the Blavatnik Regional Award for Young Scientists (Finalist, 2025), Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T) Best Paper Award (Winner, 2024), the InnoStar Best Abstract Award (SOT American Association of Chinese in Toxicology(AACT), 2025), the Postdoctoral Scholar Research Award (SOT/MSBSS, 2025), American Chemical Society (ACS) Editors’ Choice (2024), and the NIH/NIEHS Extramural Paper of the Month (2021).

Dr. Lai is committed to strengthening the AACT community by supporting trainees, enhancing visibility of Chinese toxicologists, and fostering collaborative, inclusive scientific exchange across exposure science, toxicology, and human health.

Ms. Zimu Wei began dual PhD studies in Comparative Medicine and Integrative Biology (CMIB) at Michigan State University in 2020. Her research in Dr. James Luyendyk’s laboratory focuses on mechanisms linking coagulation cascade to liver toxicity. She has been a member of AACT since 2021. Zimu has held many leadership roles, including two years as a student representative on her college’s Graduate Study Advisory Committee. She currently serves as secretary and student representative on the Committee on Research, participating in internal grant reviews. Striving to assure incoming students have an optimal transition to graduate school, she has been the peer mentor for CMIB for 4 years and is the president for the student organization. These experiences have strengthened her ability to advocate for students to ensure they have the resources needed for success. She is applying for this role in AACT because its responsibilities and opportunities align closely with the values and service she finds most fulfilling in toxicology, including strong advocacy for graduate students in the field. She will ensure students’ voices are heard by facilitating more opportunities to engage with mentors at AACT for career development. This is a valuable opportunity to apply her experiences to further enhance inclusive and supportive environments for students at AACT.