People

Lim Zi Lin

Research Officer

Jun 1, 2021 - May 31, 2024

Lim Zi Lin Research officer Zi Lin joined the team as a research intern for her final year internship to round up her undergraduate studies. After graduating from the National University of Singapore, she continued her stint at the team as a full-time research officer. Zi Lin hopes to pursue a career in public health and hopes that her experience here will help build her industry knowledge and technical skills to prepare her for the next step. 

Reading and café hopping are some of her favorite pastime activities. Reading helps her gain multiple perspectives and reflect on her purpose, while café hopping reminds her to take breaks and slow down. Recently, she chanced upon a YouTube channel, “Yes Theory”, where their motto, Seek Discomfort, really resonated with her. Instead of being hesitant and afraid of the future, she hopes that she would be able to push herself out of her comfort zone and better appreciate challenges that come her way.

Zi Lin receiving the Asian Scientist Best Lab Tech Award 2021 on Mar 18, 2022. The Science Communicator Award, clinched by Zi Lin, celebrates the lab tech who is passionate about raising awareness on science-related topics (including their own work).

Kayla Aisha Kamila

Nanyang Technological University
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences and Biobusiness

Internship 

Jan 09, 2023 - Aug 04, 2023

Mixed methods studies in breast cancer screening and care

I’m currently a Y3 undergraduate at NTU, and I took up this internship as I’m especially interested in the area of breast cancer and research. I believe that research is the foundation of every innovation and invention, and it is a way for my knowledge and skills to bear fruits. The work that this company does inspires me as I believe in empowering women and raising awareness on breast cancer, not to mention the work that goes behind every project! Through this internship, I hope to be a part of a nurturing community where I transcend boundaries and benefit circles outside my own. I’m eager to learn and hope to be a valuable member of the team!  

Outside of work/school, I greatly enjoy the outdoors and have been a member of the Outdoor Adventure Club (ODAC) for 4 years! Some of the things I enjoy doing include hiking, climbing waterfalls, cycling, kayaking, and camping. Apart from the outdoors, I’m also a crafty girl who has a good eye for cute things and loves to collect knick-knacks. I believe life is better when we work hard and play hard!

Internship log

Reflection on internship (Apr 20, 2023)

Throughout the past four months, I’ve had the privilege to work with Dr. Jingmei Li's team. As a first-time intern, I felt lost initially, but the invaluable knowledge and skills I gained have opened my eyes to the beautiful world of research.

My first task was to conduct a systematic review of different genotyping arrays and low-coverage whole genome sequencing (lcWGS). This included formulating search terms, curating the papers involved, and extracting the relevant information from each paper to review. This task proved to be challenging as there were many papers to read, but I quickly learned how to grasp and summarise content accurately and efficiently. There’s a lot of work that goes behind understanding the current scene of a topic, and through this, I gained valuable skills.

I also got to try my hands on data analysis! I worked on the BREAst screening Tailored for HEr (BREATHE) study dataset and was given the freedom to explore different types of data visualizations and analyses in R. I found this flexibility to be beneficial as it allowed me to brainstorm and pursue analyses that were most meaningful to me. I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the study's objectives while learning how to present data effectively. Additionally, I was able to dive into text mining and time series, which were new to me. Prior to this, I had limited knowledge of statistics which hindered my ability to do more robust statistical analysis. Thankfully, I was guided by colleagues who taught and provided me with useful resources. I now know how to perform different regression models that I deem fit. More importantly, being able to interpret the results on my own allowed me to form insights into the analyses that I do. This is a valuable aspect of data analysis that I love, as it gives my work purpose and meaning. 

My work on BREATHE was not solely to train my programming skills. For my first taste of scientific communication, I was given the opportunity to present my work at the Social Sciences & Technology HTCO Seminar Series. BREATHE is a project I find meaningful, so being able to communicate my insights was not just a testament to the effort I put in but an alignment of my purpose and why I chose to do this. It was truly a rewarding experience. I will also be presenting my work at the 11th Asia-Pacific Breast Cancer Summit, which is an exciting opportunity to share and learn from others in the field!

Additionally, I had the chance to venture into qualitative analysis for focus group interviews. Together with Freda from SICS and my colleague Jonathan, we used the COM-B model to strategically code and categorize responses into clear sub-themes. As of writing, we have started our thematic analysis using the COM-B constructs. It’s interesting to see that there is a pragmatic approach to deriving insights not just from absolute constructs but also from abstract and subjective ones. I thoroughly enjoyed the brainstorming and discussion process as we wrecked our brains to formulate our own opinions. 

Overall, my experience here has been fruitful and rewarding. I’ve had the opportunity to try my hands on a wide range of projects, but what made my experience truly memorable were the people. Dr. Jingmei Li cultivates a nurturing team and a safe space for me to grow and learn. Despite her many years of research experience, she is humble and always willing to give tips and advice. Through her chirpy personality and smiles, I learned many valuable lessons and picked up useful skills such as networking, presenting, and even interviews. Dr. Ho Peh Joo’s gentle and kind guidance has helped polish my programming skills and statistical knowledge, not to mention she always has your back! When in need of proofreading services, to bounce ideas or simply for life advice, go-to helplines Seeu Si and Zi Lin go above and beyond. For fresh perspective and qualitative analysis assistance, Jonathan is the man to find. Together with talented intern Meng Huang, every day at work felt like a joy. The warmth and love I’ve received have made me a more confident person and a knowledge seeker.

In the upcoming months, I hope to perform other types of data analysis, sharpen my statistical knowledge, venture into manuscript writing and proofreading, and improve my presentation and interview skills. With the support of my dependable team, there is nothing I cannot achieve!

Goh Meng Huang

National University of Singapore, Singapore
Bachelor of Social Science in Economics

A*GA – A*STAR Research Internship Award [ARIA]  

Jan 09, 2023 - May 12, 2023   

Project: Gut microbiome diversity changes and cancer treatment

Meng Huang is a year 3 economics undergraduate at NUS. He realizes that his colleagues are shocked to learn that he is from Economics, but he believes that his major has no bearing on his future career as long as he is willing to learn! Currently, he is looking to utilize his econometrics and programming skills for breast cancer research under the guidance of Dr Li and her wonderful team. He does not know what the future holds for him but is very excited about the current opportunity he has at GIS!

Internship log

Reflection on internship (Apr 17, 2023)

Four eventful months has passed and every single day I feel like I am paid to learn. It has been a humbling and fulfilling experience.  

Within these few months, I’ve honed my skills in R programming – I have not (really) coded in R before – by challenging myself through a data cleaning exercise of a dataset that is used to estimate changes to cell proportions post-chemotherapy of breast cancer patients. I was exposed to the intricacies of the R programming language and fell in love with the language. Through the couple of weeks that I took to complete the exercise, I was guided with patience and encouragement.  

After this exercise, I was further tasked to use the R package, ‘limma’, to produce the DNA methylation changes to each CpG probe post-chemotherapy. This task proved to be difficult because it is my first time cleaning a dataset that had half a million columns. Many of my time-inefficient codes had to be swapped out for more efficient ones, and each line of code had to be considered thoroughly before running. This is because code that was not vectorized or involved multiple loops will exponentially increase the time taken to run, and in this case of half a million columns, it will take hours.  

Alongside the DNA methylation dataset, I was to create a preliminary Artificial Intelligence (AI) bot that would inform participants on the BREAst screening Tailored for HEr (BREATHE) programme – which Dr Jingmei is the face of it – through the use of Midjourney, ChatGPT, ElevenLabs, and D-ID. This side project proved to be very intriguing and showed the ability of AI.  

The cleaning and analysis of these two datasets (cell composition and DNA methylation) wasn’t all solely for training my R programming skills. The insights derived from these datasets were accepted for presentation at the 11th Asia-Pacific Breast Cancer Summit, of which I would need to make a poster showcasing the insights (see abstract below!). At present, I am still preparing the poster and can’t wait to share these insights at the Summit. 

Additionally, having completed the cleaning and analysis of the DNA methylation dataset, I was given a new dataset that consists of a large number of breast cancer patients and controls. I was given free rein (yay!) to play around with this dataset and to do analysis on what I find interesting in the dataset. As of writing, I have produced multiple Venn diagrams for the GAIL, PRS models, family history of breast cancer, menopause, number of children for different ethnicities and age groups. I am not sure where the insights from this dataset will land, but it has sparked some ideas on which breast cancer indicators work best for which ethnicity and age group.  

Overall, the past four months have been very fruitful as the work was exciting and engaging. However, the cherry on top is the nurturing team that is helmed by Dr Jingmei. Aside from a relatively flat hierarchy culture (surprise!), no person in the team is unwilling to lend a helping hand. Whenever I am  in need of a direction for my internship, Dr Jingmei will guide me with grace and poise. In need of statistical or R programming assistance, Dr Peh Joo will be my go-to. In need of genomics-specific assistance or proofreading services, PhD candidate Seeu Si is my helpline. In need of assistance in qualitative data analysis or understanding focus groups, Research Officers cum lunch buddies Jonathan and Zi Lin are my reliable resources. Together with my fellow intern Kayla brightening everyone’s days, the experience here has been smooth sailing and not a day has been dull.  

In view of these, I decided to extend my internship for another three months. Within these three bonus months, I intend to expand my data cleaning skills, perform more data analytics and possibly venture into machine learning. I might even expose myself to wet lab work as well as focus group interviews!

Sim Mei Ying Tomiko

National University of Singapore, Singapore  

Internship  

May 09, 2022 - July 29, 2022   

Project: Project AI “爱”: Optimising the impact of novel personalised breast screening through the application of social research methods  

I am a Year 2 Pharmacy student. Since young, I have a constant curiosity with the working of the world around me. To what others seem like fatuous fascination, it only deepened. I remember reading “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer,” at the age of 14 and was intrigued by it. It made me realized how complex yet so beautifully dynamic our human body systems are. As someone who is socially energetic, enjoys social variability and brings energy to social situations, I wish to connect my passion with helping and contributing to an expanding scientific field be it from the bedside or bench side. Apart from my academic interests, I enjoy watching K-dramas, true crime documentaries and listening to deep-dive true crime podcasts.”

Internship log

Putri Nur Alya Binte Razmi 

Republic Polytechnic

Internship

March 14, 2022 – July 29, 2022

Project: Gut Microbiology on Chemotherapy Patients

I am currently a Year 3 Biomedical Science student studying at Republic Polytechnic and will be interning with GIS for 5 months. To know and learn more about how the human body works internally and interacts with its surroundings has always been a huge interest of mine. As such, taking up Biology in secondary school has given me a huge advantage in realizing that my interest lines well with my passion for wanting to know more about why certain processes occur in our body. As I progressed on to polytechnic, this passion has only developed more strongly, and I hope to gain a career path in the research industry.

As someone who loves the outdoors, I enjoy exploring places around Singapore and trying out new things during my free time such as hiking, café-hopping or just playing tourist. I have also been doing Silat, a traditional Malay martial art form, for around 5 years now and have a great interest in the sport as it allows me to partake in competitions and even artistic performances. 

Through this internship opportunity, I hope to be able to learn so much more on how cancer research takes place as well as the processes that occurs behind the scenes. In addition, I also hope to be able to contribute as much as I can and be of value to the team. 

Internship log

Lim Yu Xian 

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 

Internship 

10 Jan, 2022 - 10 Jun, 2022

Project: Gut microbiome changes in chemotherapy-treated breast cancer patients

I am a third year student from NTU, majoring in Biological Sciences and Medicinal Chemistry. I am very interested in oncology and virology. My interest in these areas arose when I was studying Biology in Junior College. Cancer cells and viruses’ ability to successfully invade the human body is a beautiful mystery to me. I hope to one day be able to understand this complex puzzle and put together to contribute to the understanding of breast cancer. My interest in oncology and virology landed me here and I anticipate what’s to come in the next 5 months! 

In my free time, I love going on hikes. Hiking brings me to new places and also different sights to see. I also enjoy reading occasionally, especially when I need to see things from different perspectives. I also enjoy participating in physical activities to maintain an active lifestyle. These activities often bring me joy and remind me to appreciate the little things we often take for granted.

Internship log

Lim Zi Lin

National University of Singapore, Singapore

Internship

December 07, 2020 – April 30, 2021

Project: To investigate the risk factors associated with reduced bone mineral density in postmenopausal breast cancer patients receiving Aromatase Inhibitors.

“I am a final year student from NUS, majoring in Life Sciences with a minor in Public Health. I am very interested in the public health sector and wish to build my future career in this area. One of the main drivers of my interest is the fulfilment of translating knowledge into solutions which will benefit the population’s health. It is also very interesting to see how the different stakeholders work together to deliver programs for the respective target groups  My interest in public health and cancer studies brought me here and I am excited for what’s to come over the next 4 months!

In my free time, I love to try out new things. Some days, I will go on mini food trips, and on other days, I try out entirely new activities, like pottery. I am also a big coffee addict, and have recently went on a week of coffee journey, where I tried out coffees from different shops around Singapore. Other than being stress relievers, these activities also remind me to slow down and better appreciate the little joys in life.

My previous internship experience in the public health sector made me realize the importance of data analytics, especially in today’s world. There are very experienced and competent people over here at Laboratory of Women’s Health and Genetics. I hope that I will be able to take this opportunity to brush up on my skills (both technical and soft) and contribute to the projects to the best of my abilities!”

Internship log

Marcus Ngeh Wei Ming

Republic Polytechnic, Singapore  

Internship 

21 September 2020 - 5 February 2021  

"I am currently a 3rd Year student studying at Republic Polytechnic pursuing a Diploma in Biomedical Science. Although I did not take Biology in Secondary School, the reason on why I took a Diploma related to Biology is due to the fact that I feel more drawn towards the knowledge regarding Biology that is ever-changing and not fixated compared to the knowledge behind Physics that is comparatively more fixated onto the equations. This led me to engage myself in experience relating to the research of Biology like what I am doing now for my internship under the guidance of Dr. Li before I make my choice in which University course I would want to take when I graduate. Other things that interests me would be sports such as bouldering and swimming as not only do they serve as a way to keep fit, it also serves as an outlet to release stress. (These are just excuses… I enjoy the adrenaline rush when I do those sports :))  Meanwhile, I hope I can perform well and be helpful to the team during my internship in HG7 while being able to gain experience and improve on my weaknesses."

Internship log