What is the topic of your PhD project and how does your work look like in practice?
In short, my PhD project is to investigate functional neural networks in terms of connectopics. In practice, I would validate, refine, and develop statistical methodologies for evaluating the preserved connectopic mapping across processing hierarchies. We try to deepen the understanding of brain organization in terms of functional connectivity, investigating the biological essence of neuroscience with statistical approaches. It is interesting to see the development of artificial intelligence and think of the human brain as an advanced computer that performs dimensionality reduction, Bayesian inference, and unsupervised learning without a cost function. Yet, the topographical organization is at odds with patches of piece-wise constant connectivity, while functional parcellation and heterogeneity remain mysterious in higher hierarchies. The project itself is rather flexible and ultimately, we hope to provide insight into systematical neurological diseases, quantify the alternation of neuronal networks in patients, and even bridge the gap between machine learning and human learning. We will perform fully data-driven approaches on the HCP data and primarily perform analysis in relatively well-studied visual and motor systems.
What has your career path been so far and how did you come to your current position?
My background is interdisciplinary and meandering. My academic journey started with the Olympics in Chemistry and Biology during high school where I showed tremendous interest in both organic chemistry and human health. Studying in an international school equipped me with sufficient language skills and worldwide envisioning. My bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering at Jinan University, China, introduced me to the realms of medicine, biomaterials, biochemistry, and medical devices. Meanwhile, I volunteered in the food science lab where I was privileged to be involved in animal and biochemistry experiments, project design, and publication. In the gap years, I worked as a project leader and technical consultant for the isothermal amplification platform in the department of molecular diagnosis in a biotech company, where I gained sophisticated knowledge of molecular biology and learned about the commercial part of the world in terms of process optimization, marketing, and consultancy. The incident in which my ex-partner lost an eye motivated me to study neuroscience. Fascinated by the complexity of the human neuronal system, I took an online course from Duke University via Coursera, which provided me adequate background in medical neuroscience. Later, I studied Master’s in Biomedical Science with a research profile in medical neuroscience at Radboud UMC. With the determination to understand the basics of brain organization and the dream of bringing sight back to blind people, I worked as an intern in the group of Prof. Dr. Richard van Wezel and then in the group of Prof. Dr. Bert van den Berg and Dr. Koen Haak on visual neuroscience, where in both experiences, I fell for the charm of data analysis and mathematical equations. Then, I took more online courses in machine learning, computational neuroscience, and advanced MATLAB. After a delightful cooperation with Koen, I asked for a position in the group as a PhD student. Gladly it worked out in the end and I am looking forward to the new chapter.
What aspect of your job do you excel at?
With an interdisciplinary background, I may see things from different perspectives and integrate them with feasible logic. I am a highly organized and rational person. When writing codes, being scrupulous is my advantage and therefore you might see detailed explanations that could be longer than the command itself.
What aspect of your job is or has been a challenge for you?
The intuition of mathematics. Lacking the corresponding background, I have to work harder to re-learn terminologies and intuition, challenging but also satisfying. Furthermore, I suffer from bad short-term memory and lack of focus, so I try to maximize my performance when I am involved.
What is the most important advice you want to share with Donders PhD candidates?
Share your feelings, share your thoughts, respect the differences, and experience more, especially for those who come from a relatively restrained (I hate that word but cannot think of else) culture. Relax and do not compare yourself to others. You are unique and be true to your feelings. You live for no one else.
What are you looking forward to in life?
For now, I hope to have my new apartment fixed and bring my two lovely cats here from their home country. I miss them so much.