Briefly, tell us about your background and career/studies up to this point?
I studied Chemistry in my undergraduate. After completing my master’s degree at University of Hong Kong, I joined King’s College London to do my PhD in 2019 under the co-supervision of Prof. Gilbert Fruhwirth at KCL and Prof. Jenny Lam at UCL. Thereafter, I stayed on as a postdoc fellow expanding my animal research expertise to work on a project exploring the role of Nrf2 in intratumoural Tregs in hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, I am a postdoctoral research associate in Fruhwirth’s Imaging Therapies and Cancer Lab and work on a Cancer Research UK-funded Early Detection project in lung cancer.
What is a typical day like for you?
I normally have very light for breakfast – just a banana and a pastry. After reaching the lab, I then get myself ready with a cup of tea. The rest of my day is usually filled up with different kinds of experiments. Most of the time you can find me in the tissue culture room. Occasionally, I will be at St Thomas’ Hospital doing in vivo radionuclide imaging. In the late afternoon, I will spend some time doing computer work – checking emails, analysing data and reading/writing papers etc. When I’m doing animal work, I will go to the animal facility unit to check on the animals (mostly mice) as the last task of the day.
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
Be brave, take the courage and don’t hesitate too much. Opportunity comes but once and you will always be surprised with what you have experienced!
Do you have any current projects that you’d like to tell us about?
I am now working on a CRUK-funded project focusing on the development of a diagnostic probe using ROR1 as a biomarker for early detection of lung cancer relapse, where we utilise advanced molecular imaging to enhance diagnostic accuracy in the high-risk population and improve disease management. Our working hypothesis is to exploit the early upregulation of ROR1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for biomarker development. The ultimate goal is to employ the novel customised molecular imaging probe to unlock minimally invasive detection of NSCLC-derived ROR1+ exosomes in peripheral blood which serves as a surveillance tool for early detection of disease recurrence in NSCLC patients post-surgery.
What do you do with your time outside academia/work?
Food is my therapy, always giving me happiness and strength. I love exploring good restaurants and cafes in London. Also, I like trying out new bubble tea shops, which I sometimes treat myself on Friday after a week of work! Apart from that, I enjoy travelling around the world to explore more outside the laboratory.
What is something positive that happened to you in 2025?
I went to Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain in Peru in August 2025. They have always been on my bucket list and it finally came true. The view was definitely breathtaking and spectacular! The moment that you made it was so surreal and you were just astonished by the nature and culture. Overall, the experience was remarkable and I really enjoyed the entire trip.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I would say completing my PhD. It was a 4-year journey full of challenges, hardship and endurance. That was not easy especially when COVID hit in my second year. I am grateful that I learnt and grew a lot, both academically and personally from doing a PhD, which shaped me into a competent and all-round researcher. One of the milestones was publishing my first-author paper in 2024 (DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2024.114177). Hopefully, more will come in the future…
QUICK-FIRE:
Favourite season: Summer. I really enjoy the long daylight in summer which makes your day feel longer.
Favourite scientist: Andrew Fire and Craig Mello, who discovered siRNA-mediated RNA interference which my PhD was largely working on.
Favourite cuisine: Japanese can’t go wrong!
One thing you could not go a day without: A cup of matcha or hojicha latte