Dr. Tingting Gu is an environmental health scientist with training in cellular and molecular biology, specializing in advanced imaging and quantitative analysis to investigate how micro- and nanoplastics impact human health. She currently serves as Associate Director of the Advanced Light Microscopy Core at the University of Oklahoma’s Samuel Roberts Noble Microscopy Laboratory (SRNML), where she supports interdisciplinary research and develops innovative imaging workflows.

Her research focuses on understanding the distribution, transformation, and biological effects of microplastics in complex biological systems. Dr. Gu leverages ex vivo human organ perfusion models and multi-modal imaging, including advanced optical imaging platforms and electron microscopy, to study how environmental particles interact with tissues at cellular and subcellular scales. Her work integrates functional and molecular readouts, such as immune activation, metabolic reprogramming, and tissue injury responses, to uncover mechanisms linking environmental exposure to organ-level dysfunction.

In parallel, Dr. Gu develops computational pipelines and explores machine learning approaches for analyzing large-scale microscopic imaging datasets, enabling more precise detection, classification, and spatial mapping of microplastics in environmental and biological samples. Her work aims to bridge imaging-derived phenotypes with molecular signatures to advance a more integrated understanding of environmental toxicology.

Dr. Gu is the founder of Clear-Lab, an initiative dedicated to advancing microplastic research through standardized methodologies, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and public engagement. She has trained and mentored numerous students and researchers in microscopy and data analysis and has organized regional workshops to foster collaboration in this rapidly evolving field.

Her research program sits at the intersection of environmental exposure science, cellular and molecular biology, and imaging innovation, with the goal of translating mechanistic insights into actionable strategies for risk assessment, policy development, and public health protection.

Yan Cui is currently a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at University of Oklahoma. He received his Bachelor degree in Clinical Medicine from Zhejiang University, and his Master of Surgery from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He completedhis residency program at Jinshan Hospital, affiliated with Fudan University. His pastresearch focused on the application of biomaterials in trauma repair. His current research interest is organ ex-vivo perfusion,proteomics and microplastics in ex-vivo organs.

Leena Ahmad is a junior undergraduate student majoring in Biology on the Pre-Medical track. She joined the lab as a Honors FYRE student in Spring 2025 and has remained involved since. She is currently working on a project to quantify and characterize microplastics in animal manure, with the goal of applying this work to broader research on human health. Fun fact: she hopes to become a cardiac anesthesiologist.” 

Olivia is a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Chemical Biosciences, with minors in Psychology and Women and Gender Studies. She joined Dr. Gu’s lab in Fall 2025. In addition to her work in this research group, she is actively involved in Miracle Mindset, Mindful Impact, the Henderson Scholars Program, and the Dodge Withrow Leadership Scholars program.

She is a recipient of the 2026 UReCA Summer Fellowship Grant, where her research focuses on investigating the presence of microplastic contamination in the tubarial gland and identifying standardized methodologies for studying microplastics in human tissues. Olivia is enthusiastic about expanding her knowledge of research protocols and advancing her understanding of microplastic science.

Left to Right: Yan Cui, Keianna Taheri, Olivia Evans, Tingting Gu, Leena Ahmad, Donny Han, Zach Adam (2025 lab group photo)

Lab dinner for 2025 Thanksgiving meeting