Inspired by the words from Nobel laureate Joshua Lederberg “We live in evolutionary competition with microbes-bacteria and viruses. There is no guarantee that we will be the survivors”, I decided to choose virus-related research as my future career since I was a freshman. I joined UTMB as a postdoc and supervised by Professor Pei-Yong Shi since April 2016. I am a Research Project Manager, Lead in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UTMB since September 2022, and now work with Dr. Xuping Xie. Currently I lead the collaborations with pharmaceuticals companies, take in charge of COVID-19 serology diagnosis for commercial vaccine development, and oversee antiviral testing against SARS-Cov-2 and flaviviruses. I manage meetings with our collaborators to prioritize sample testing, scientific direction, trouble shooting, delivery timeline, data reporting, and regulatory compliance. I have strong basic research experience and translational research experience in the field of molecular virology. The basic research is fundamental to uncover the molecular mechanism of viral replication and translation, which in turn can be utilized for translational research such as the development of vaccines, antivirals, and new diagnosis tools. I strongly believe “Breakthroughs that change patients’ lives”, and that is my long-term goal in my life.
