I graduated from Pomona College (Claremont, USA) in 1993, double majoring in mathematics and biology. I went to the California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, USA) for my MS and PhD. For my MS degree, I identified a cell cycle inhibitor in Xenopus egg extracts, and studied its biochemical activities. For my Ph.D., I examined the mitotic exit network in the budding yeast S. cerevisiae using molecular genetics and biochemistry.

 

In 2001, I started my postdoctoral research, initially at the Rockefeller University and then the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Centre (New York City, USA). I engineered a synthetic yeast cooperative community to track its evolution, and attempted mathematical modelling of community properties.

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In 2007, I started my lab at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre (Seattle, USA). With the help of talented lab members, my research style underwent a metamorphosis where mathematical modelling transitioned to become a powerful tool in my biological research.

In 2021, I moved to University College London, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment (GEE), Centre for Life’s Origins and Evolution (CLOE).

Check out my stories behind the science (for the general audience):