Jiayi Wu is a graduate student in the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine program at Stanford University who is jointly mentored by Dr. Matern and Dr. Stefan Heller. Jiayi is originally from Shanghai, China. After earning her bachelor’s degree in biology from Grinnell College, she obtained additional research experience as a research technician at Columbia University in New York City. During her time at Columbia, she discovered her passion for stem cell research and decided to pursue a Ph.D.

Jiayi’s work focuses on regeneration and leveraging stem cells to develop novel treatments. Using mouse embryonic stem cell-derived inner ear organoids, she is working to understand the cell cycle and proliferation of supporting cells, with the goal of driving mammalian post-mitotic supporting cells back into the cell cycle. Her long-term goal is to reactivate the regenerative potential of supporting cells for sensory hair cell regeneration in the mammalian inner ear, with the ultimate aim of treating auditory and vestibular disorders.