London, England, United Kingdom
I am a PhD researcher in cancer biology and metabolism at the Francis Crick Institute and Imperial College London, where my work focuses on how diet and nutrient availability influence tumour metabolism and cancer progression. My research combines cancer cell biology, metabolomics and mass spectrometry, with an interest in how scientific findings can be translated towards clinical and therapeutic impact. Alongside research, I have enjoyed communicating science across different settings, from international conference presentations and public engagement activities to science writing, including receiving Third Prize in the Crick Science Writing Prize. I also co-chaired the EACR Cancer Metabolism Conference and received 2nd Best Oral Presentation at the International PhD Student Cancer Conference (IPSCC). With Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certification and exposure to preclinical-to-clinical translation through a placement at The Griffin Institute, I am motivated by the opportunity to build a career that connects scientific evidence with clinical development and patient benefit, particularly across medical affairs, medical science liaison and clinical trial settings.
Working with Professor Karen Vousden on how diet affects cancer progression and tumour host metabolism. • Leading an independent, end-to-end project on how diet modulation rewires tumour metabolism, revealing findings with clear translational and therapeutic relevance • Designed and executed a cross-institutional research project alongside my PhD, identifying a key cell-survival mechanism with therapeutic implications, published in Science Advances • Delivered oral and poster presentations across multiple international conferences and public events within short timeframes • Co-chaired a major international cancer research conference attended by over 1000 scientists (The European Association of Cancer Research (EACR) Cancer Metabolism Conference)
Continued my research at the Metabolomics Science Technology Platform • Performed experiments as part of the final year project which involves the application of a method developed in my previous placement – a method for the measurement of redox metabolites to biological samples and biofluids. • Final year project (supervised by Dr. Fernando Martinez Estrada and Dr. Nathalie Legrave) focuses on the role of oxidative stress in macrophages exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. • The project involves liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of cysteine/cystine cycle in macrophages, standardization of metabolite quenching, metabolite cellular extraction and flow cytometry analysis.
I worked in two laboratories: (1) Metabolomics Science Technology Platform • Worked on the method development of quantification of redox metabolites and lipid molecules, supervised by Dr. James Macrae and Dr. Nathalie Legrave. • Familiar with day-to-day operation, troubleshooting and maintenance of LC-MS (Orbitrap, QQQ). • Conducted untargeted and targeted metabolomic analysis on redox metabolites (glutathione, glutathione disulfide, cysteine, cystine) and lipids (eg. phosphatidic acid). • Carried out data analysis using Xcalibur and Tracefinder. (2) Kinases and Brain Development Laboratory • Worked on the identification and validation of substrates of Leucine Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) and TRAF2 and NCK-interacting protein kinase (TNIK) in Sila Ultanir’s lab, supervised by Dr. Simeon Mihaylov. • Gained experience in molecular biology techniques, including in-vitro kinase assay, gateway cloning, gene transfection, affinity chromatography protein purification, western blotting, co-immunoprecipitation, HEK cell and neuronal cell culture. • Involved in the optimization of covalent capture. • Familiar with molecular biology software (SnapGene) and basic image processing programme (ImageJ).
• Collaborated with a 4-member team to manage on-call support for a student residence of over 600 students, resolving emergency and community issues, contributing to a 4.9/5 resident satisfaction score • Oversaw event management and budget allocation for over 20 community events per year
• Authored over 30 blog posts for the official student blog, demonstrating strong written communication and content creation skills • Featured in a radio interview on a Malaysian channel, effectively leveraging public speaking skills to increase the university's appeal to international applicants • Coordinated and managed the logistics of university events,
• Worked under Dr. Fernando Martinez Estrada on the study of cell proliferation of monocytes. • Performed Ki67 cell proliferation assay and cell cycle analysis on THP-1 cells (monocyte - like cell line). • Carried out literature research on the application of flow cytometry (FACS).