I am a 5th-year Ph.D. candidate in the Signaling Systems Lab at UCLA, and have previously involved in research projects in the Garud Lab, Myco-Fluidics Lab, Zarlab, Treude Lab, Flint Lab, and Arisaka Lab, gaining both wet and dry lab as well as field work experiences across multiple subfields such as neurogenetics, computational genetics, marine biology, biogeochemistry, and evolutionary neurophysics. My current systems immunology research focuses on developing a multi-scale mechanistic math model to bridge B-cell molecular mass action kinetics, stochastic cell-cell interactions, and B-cell evolution to predict the dynamics of antibody repertoire for rational vaccine design. I leverage data generated from in vitro biochemical assays and flow cytometry assays to parametrize the model, and in vivo antibody repertoire sequencing data under various signaling perturbations to further optimize the model.

 

In 2020, I graduated from UCLA with a B.S. degree in Biology and minors in Bioinformatics, Digital Humanities, and Film, TV, and Digital Media. I was a reviewer of Undergraduate Science Journal (USJ) and a staff member at Art | Sci Center, a collaboration between UCLA Design Media Arts and California Nano-system Institute. A volunteer docent for Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve for several years, I watch trails, protect wild flowers, design merchandizes, and interpret natural and cultural histories of the park during poppy season. I was honored the 2020 Chancellor's Service Award for my contribution to UCLA and Los Angeles area, and received a quail pin for serving >100 hrs in California State Park system.

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I enjoy a wide range of hobbies, including scuba-diving, backpacking, skiing, bird-watching, wildlife & landscape photography, sailing, kayaking, stained-glass making, embroidery, graphic design, product design, etc. I participated in a variety of clubs, including Creative Labs, Bruin Birding Club, Bruin Beekeepers, Mycology Club, Film Photography Society (FPS), Metal & Glass Club, Backpacking Club, and Embruindery. Besides my home country China and the U.S., I have traveled to Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Australia. These experiences gave me a global lens with an open mind and an appreciation of diversity.