Research


Research experience


2021.4 -

Identifying genetic control of the variation of gene expression at the single-cell level

Postdoc Scientist (Supervisor: Prof. Joseph Powell, GWCCG, The Garvan Institute of Medical Research)

· Investigate the genetic control of the variation of gene expression at the single-cell level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)

· Develop novel statistical model to better account for the relationship between within-individual mean and variance


2016.10 - 2021.4

Genome-wide analyses of human complex diseases using summary data

PhD student (Supervisor: Prof. Jian Yang, Institute for Molecular Bioscience & Queensland Brain Institute)

· Genome-wide association studies on the genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes [Publication]

· Investigate the influence of misreporting and longitudinal changes in the genetic analysis for self-reported behavioural traits [Preprint]

· Analysing different substance use behaviours like drinking, smoking, and investigating their causal effects for human complex diseases

· Improved the algorithm and R package for a software tool of Mendelian Randomization [Software link]

· Revealing the regulatory pathway and biological network of basal cell carcinoma


2015.8 - 2016.9

Dissecting genetic architecture using multi-omics information: A case of GWAS for startle behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster

Research assistant (Mentor: Prof. Jun Zhu, Institute of Bioinformatics)

· Analyzed the multi-omics data to detect SNPs and eQTLs associated with startle behaviour in Drosophila (fruit fly) [Publication]

· Investigated the evolutionary conservation of key genes and pathways between Drosophila and human


2014.8 - 2015.6

Association mapping of genetic network for plant morphology traits in Upland cotton

Undergraduate dissertation (Mentor: Prof. Jun Zhu, Institute of Bioinformatics)

· Dissected genetic basis of plant morphology traits and branch architecture traits in upland cotton [Publication]

· Provided new cotton breeding strategies using associated SSR markers [Publication]


2014.7.7 - 8.17

DMT Resistance Measurement and Mutant Screening of Phytophthora capsici

Summer Research Apprenticeship in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

(Mentor: Prof. Mohammad Babadoost, Department of Crop Sciences)

· Measured the sensitivities of a list of Phytophthora capsici isolates from pumpkins in Illinois to a fungicide dimethomorph by determining EC50 of colony diameter growth


2013.3 - 2014.3

The Ghost Kit——Detect, Purify, and Store Protein

Team Leader of International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition team

(Instructor: Prof. Ming Chen, Department of Bioinformatics)

Website: http://2013.igem.org/Team:ZJU-China

· In charge of all teamwork and co-supervised the project

· Designed four new parameters used to describe RNA aptamer-based riboswitch, and made quantitative and qualitative descriptions of them in the form of standardized datasheet and graph


2012.3 - 2013.3

V2 of tomato yellow leaf curl virus can suppress methylation-mediated transcriptional gene silencing in plant

Research assistant (Mentor: Prof. Xueping Zhou, State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology)

· Learned some basic skills of molecular experiment, such as plasmid DNA extraction and PCR

· Demonstrated that the tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) V2 protein can reverse TGS by reducing the methylation levels in the 35S promoter sequence


Peer review activity

  • Early Career Reviewer in Statistical Genetics & Genomics section, GENETICS

  • The GENETICS Peer Review Training Program (2019.6 - 2019.7)

  • Nature Medicine (2021)

  • Genetics (2019, 2020*2, 2021*2)

  • G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics (2021)

  • Scientific Reports (2021)

  • Clinical Obesity (2020)

  • Journal of Human Genetics (2019)

  • EBioMedicine (2018, Outstanding Contribution in Reviewing Award)

  • Nucleic Acids Research (2018, 2019, 2020)

  • Publons ID: 1390585


Conference presentation

International Conference of Quantitative Genetics 6th. 2021, 02-13 Nov, Brisbane, Australia.

Poster presentation: Genome-wide analyses of behavioral traits biased by misreports and longitudinal changes

The International Young Scholars Forum of Sun Yat-sen University. 2019, 26-28 December, Guangzhou, China.

Invited talk: Genome-wide association studies on human complex traits based on multi-omics data

The Symposium of Quantitative Genetics. 2019, 24-26 May. Hangzhou, China.

Invited talk: Genetic risk variants and putative regulatory mechanisms for type 2 diabetes


Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Gordon Research Conference & Seminar, 2019. 08-15 February, Lucca, Italy

Poster presentation: The health consequences of tobacco smoking, alcohol, coffee and tea drinking behaviors

GeneMappers, 2018. 29-31, August, Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia

Poster presentation: Genome-wide association analyses identify 143 risk variants and putative regulatory mechanisms for type 2 diabetes

FHS-OMICS Conference Series (video-conferencing), 2018. 10 February, Boston, USA.

Organized by Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Conference Committee.

Invited talk: Genetic risk variants and putative regulatory mechanisms for type 2 diabetes.