Liyang is a PhD student in the Kyoto–McGill International Collaborative Program in Genomic Medicine, supervised by Dr Mitinori Saitou. She earned her master’s degree from Southern University of Science and Technology in China, where she researched how transposable elements influence 3D genome structure through DNA-binding proteins in Dr Andrew Hutchins' lab. Her current research focuses on the epigenetic dynamics of centromeric and pericentromeric satellites, as well as transposable elements, during in vitro human germ cell development. These loci are significant as they act as DNA-methylation escapees during global demethylation. Liyang is also interested in how the epigenetic features of these regions influence transcriptional activity and their potential role as cis-regulatory elements.