Yunqi was involved in QUEST whilst studying for a PhD in the Department of Materials at the University of Oxford. Her research examined novel processing of composites to create materials with controlled and anisotropic electrical and magnetic properties, and arranging these according to designs that allow unusual and previously unattainable manipulations of microwaves. Her particular focus was ferrite composites, with applications in impedance-matched materials (e.g., for electrically small antennas).