Yousaf Mian was born on August 14,1982 in Elgin, IL.  He was raised in Roselle, IL and attended Lake Park High School, graduating in 2000. Yousaf attended Loyola University Chicago on a Presidential Scholarship for his undergraduate degrees, earning a BS in Biology and BA in History, as well as a minor in Chemistry, graduating in 2004. As an undergraduate, Yousaf was a member of the Historical Honors Society and studied abroad at the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, UK.

After graduation,  Yousaf joined the lab of Dr. Hamid Band, M.D., Ph.D. at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in Evanston, IL as a Research Assistant, studying the Notch signaling in a C. elegans model.  Upon the close of this project, Yousaf joined the lab of Dr. Vimla Band, Ph.D., studying the role hADA3 in breast cancer development.  During his time in the Band labs, Yousaf developed a deep technical background that has benefitted his experiments throughout his career.

In August 2008, Yousaf matriculated to Loyola University Chicago to continue his studies towards a Ph.D. He entered Loyola University Chicago as a student within the Integrated Program in Biomedical Science (IPBS), and joined the Program in Molecular Biology.  Yousaf joined the lab of Dr. Nancy Zeleznik-Le, Ph.D. to study the role of microRNAs in MLL leukemia.  During his graduate school years, Yousaf pioneered the study of anti-miRNA oligonucleotides within the MLL group at Loyola, building a project to screen anti-miRNA oligos in vitro  to identify interesting candidates for further study. His work identified miRNAs that upset the delicate balance of key transcription factors in MLL leukemia.

After graduate school, Yousaf joined the University of California San Diego in September 2016, with an interest in expanding his experience in translational research.  At UCSD, he worked on the advancement of antibody-based therapeutics, including a bispecific antibody that retargets T cells to cancer cells as well as an Antibody Drug Conjugate that directs the delivery of cytotoxic payloads.

Yousaf currently lives in Chicago, IL.  When he is not working,  Yousaf enjoys cooking and reading.