Kai Yi M.

Research Assistant

United Kingdom

About

Hello, I am a Molecular Medicine graduate with a strong interest in working in biomedical research! I am passionate about studying human health and disease, and my research interests lie in infectious diseases and virology. I believe that research conducted with integrity and rigour will help us expand our knowledge and address current public health challenges. In the past two years, I worked in several academic research groups on diverse topics from cancer to infection. I thrive in the laboratory environment and enjoy conducting practical research, but also developed skills in statistical and computational analysis.

Experience

  • Research Assistant at Imperial College London
    Jan 2025 - Present · 1 yr 7 mos

    I am working with Professor Wendy Barclay's group as part of the PROVAC Consortium to develop deep mutational scanning platforms to predict the antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and inform proactive vaccine design.

  • Research Assistant at King's College London
    Jun 2023 - Jul 2024 · 1 yr 2 mos

    I worked with the Myeloid Leukaemia Genomics and Biology Group at King's College London as a Research Assistant to investigate clonal haematopoiesis in the ageing population by genotyping primary patient samples with state-of-the-art next-generation sequencing techniques.

  • Casual Worker at Imperial College London
    Jan 2023 - May 2023 · 5 mos

    I worked with Professor Shiranee Sriskandan's group at Imperial to analyse patient samples from the UK 2022-2023 Group A Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) outbreak and characterise GAS M1UK strains through western blotting and PCR experiments. My work has contributed to the publication: “Rapid expansion and international spread of M1UK in the post-pandemic UK upsurge of Streptococcus pyogenes” (Vieira et al., 2024)

  • Masters Student at Imperial College London
    Mar 2022 - Sep 2022 · 7 mos

    I carried out a 6-month laboratory research project in collaboration with Professor Wendy Barclay and Professor Vincent Savolainen on the zoonotic potential of novel coronaviruses isolated from bats in the UK through the use of detailed bioinformatics and in vitro experimental approaches. My work has contributed to the publication: “Genomic screening of 16 UK native bat species through conservationist networks uncovers coronaviruses with zoonotic potential” (Tan et al., 2023)

  • Student Curriculum Partner at UCL
    Sep 2020 - Jun 2021 · 10 mos

    I advised on the inclusivity of UCL’s curriculum for the BAME Awarding Gap Project by providing a student perspective. I collaborated with fellow students to critically review and evaluate curriculum materials and presented feedback to students and staff via written proformas and face-to-face meetings.