Dr. Yan’s primary research interest has been in the structural and mechanistic investigation of membrane transport proteins that are of tremendous physiological, pathophysiological, and pharmaceutical significance. She reported the first structures of the human glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUG3, the eukaryotic voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels, and a number of proteins involved in sterol metabolism. Her present research program focuses on structure-guided mechanistic understanding and drug discovery for pain relief. Her achievements have won her numerous accolades. She was elected as an International Member of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2019, an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021 and a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2023.