Yaqi Ma is currently completing her doctoral studies in Physics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), having begun the programme in 2021. She previously earned a bachelor's degree in Applied Physics from the Department of Physics at Beijing Institute of Technology, where she studied from August 2016 to July 2020. Ma’s research during her PhD has focused on the fabrication of two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructure devices, incorporating materials such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, and transition metal dichalcogenides (e.g., MoS₂, WSe₂). Her experimental work centres on electronic transport characterisation under low temperatures and strong magnetic fields, with particular emphasis on topological effects, strongly correlated flat-band systems, and other quantum phenomena of interest.