Zhujie Gu

ESR5 - Zhujie Gu

I am from China where I received my Bachelor’s degree in Finance. I worked for five years in the financial industry in Shanghai before I went to the UK and obtained my master’s degree in Actuarial Science (with distinction) in 2018.

I joined IMforFUTURE in June 2018 as ESR 5, working at UMC Utrecht under supervision of Prof. Jeanine Houwing-Duistermaat and Dr. Hae-Won Uh. My research focuses on developing statistical methods for integration of multiple omics datasets. Complex phenotypes like cancer or aging emerge from interactions between multiple components of biological systems, thus could not be explained well by only one functional level. Our aim is to develop methods that can handle the high-dimensionality, heterogeneity, and difficulty of interpretation in integration of multiple omics datasets. It will help us extract more useful information by analyzing omics datasets from different functional levels simultaneously, and finally contribute to better understanding of the biological systems behind complex phenotypes.

Secondments

Genos

Genos is a global leader in glycomics research based in Zagreb, Croatia. This intersectoral secondment offered me a great opportunity to learn wet-lab knowledge which is also essential for biostatisticians. I went through the whole process of glycomics measurement using Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) and Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), all the way from sample preparation to the processed data on which we can apply our statistical methods. As a statistician, I gained insight into the data we use from this experience in the lab.

University of  Bologna

I spent three months visiting the Department of Physics and Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine in University of Bologna. Collaboration with physicists and biologists gave me not only knowledge in specific fields, such as network analysis, methylation, glycomics, etc., but also experience of sharing my expertise and getting support in an interdisciplinary environment.

Public engagement

I believe that communication with the general public as a scientist is meaningful for both sides. It raises public awareness of the importance of science and the impact our scientific endeavors have on our daily life. I gain insights into the purpose of my research as well.

No alt text provided for this imageIn June 2019, I helped to organize and participated in the public engagement activities in Split, Croatia. We made fliers about our research in an understandable way to the general public and communicated with passers-by. I also helped in a children workshop where ESRs in our project gave interesting lessons to trigger the scientific interests of children.

In September 2019, I attended the European Researchers’ Night during my secondment in Bologna. We made interactive games and talk to the public about our project and research topics.

 

Recent presentation

Following is the recording of my recent oral presentation at the 30th international biometric conference (IBC 2020):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nG6e38kWNCzt0tZolc2unxSd4LIbyf8a/view?usp=sharing

Social media

LinkedIn