Congratulations to three of HRI’s up-and-coming researchers, PhD students Ivy Guan, Weizhen (Eva) Li and Alexander Lin.
Ms Guan, who is a member of the Cardiovascular-protective Signalling and Drug Discovery Unit led by Dr Xuyu (Johnny) Liu, recently attended the EFMC International Symposium on Chemical Biology with the support of a DDI ECR Travel award, and was awarded a best poster prize.
The three-day meeting was held in Basel, Switzerland from November 16 to 18 and brought together leading scientists to showcase the latest advances in the field of chemical biology.
Ms Guan presented her research on ‘A ‘natural’ electrophilic solution to calm the platelet temper’. The study revealed that sulforaphane, a natural compound found in broccoli, possesses distinctive antiplatelet properties, offering valuable insights for mitigating the excessive bleeding associated with current blood thinner treatments.
“This was my first time attending an international conference, and this poster prize gives me huge encouragement for my PhD study, particularly as I approach the culmination of my final year,” she said.
Another of Dr Liu’s PhD students, Kayla Williams, also presented her research at the conference.
Ivy Guan with her winning poster (left) and Eva Li
Congratulations also go to Ms Li, from HRI’s Atherosclerosis and Vascular Remodelling Unit, who has been awarded a Faculty of Engineering Career Advancement Award from The University of Sydney.
According to the University’s website:
“This Award has been established to enable students who have shown strong potential to pursue jobs in prestigious academic and industrial positions the opportunity to improve their publication record while in advance of their oral examination.”
Ms Li is currently completing her PhD under the guidance of Dr Ashish Misra, with a focus on targeting the modulation of smooth muscle cell phenotype to stabilise atherosclerotic plaque. She also recently won a Rising Star award at the Sydney Cardiovascular Symposium.
“This award undoubtedly helps me prepare for the publication and oral examination for my PhD. It also provides me valuable time to participate in international conferences, enhancing my competitiveness to actively seek postdoctoral opportunities,” she said.
PhD student Alex Lin
Finally, Mr Lin, who is also from Dr Misra’s group, was recently selected to attend this year's EMBL Australia PhD Course, which was held at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Now in its eighth year, this prestigious course offers an incredible opportunity for first- and second-year life science PhD students to learn from some of the brightest and most inspiring scientists from around Australia.
“The course was a great opportunity to broaden my knowledge and get inspiration from amazing students working in other fields of research,” he said.
The two-week course is modelled on the pre-doc training program at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and covers the latest ideas and advances in molecular biology and the life sciences.
Congratulations once again to our rising stars – Ivy, Eva and Alex!
