JUSTL participant: Dr Kosmo Ting Hing Yan
Dr Kosmo Ting Hing Yan is a Biotechnology Leader and Laboratory Manager in a start-up company in Hong Kong called Geb Impact Co. He obtained his PhD in 2015 in the laboratory of Prof Joseph Tin Yum Wong (Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), where he investigated the role of the condensin protein complex in regulating the condensation and structure of the chromosomes in various dinoflagellate species, including: Crypthecodinium cohnii, Karenia brevis, Amphidinium carterae and Alexandrium tamarense. After completing his PhD, Dr Yan continued to work in Prof Wong’s laboratory at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as a Post-Doctoral Fellow, where he continued to study the nuclear proteins (condensin, histones and histone chaperone proteins) in dinoflagellates as well as developing a method to transiently knockdown genes in these unicellular microorganisms.
Current Work
Dr Yan has worked at Geb Impact Co. since late 2017. His work involves developing and optimizing techniques for cultivating microalgae, and promoting the use of microalgae for commercial applications with regards to developing their use in green industry. Dr Yan’s main responsibilities involve conducting research and development of different microalgae cultivations, and developing their use in various different applications such as in the food, nutrient supplement, cosmetic and biofuel industries. He also mentors the junior engineers and is involved in writing proposals for the application of research funds.
JUSTL Programme
Dr Yan participated in the 2011 JUSTL programme and his mentor was Dr Irina Arkhipova, a year-round Associate Scientist at the MBL, who is based in the Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution. Dr Yan worked with the planktonic rotifer species, Brachionas manjavacas and Brachionus calyciflorus on a project to analyse their transposable elements, which are regions of DNA that can move within or between genomes. He was involved in cloning and identifying the Athena retroelements that are concentrated at telomeric regions in these rotifer species, so that their organization could be compared in related species.
…researchers regularly organized open seminars to deliver their scientific knowledge, in an easily understandable presentation, to the general public.
In addition to his research work, Dr Yan attended lectures for the Microbial Diversity summer course and the Workshop on Molecular Evolution. He found that these both gave him a fantastic opportunity to explore these specific fields of biology as such focussed courses don’t tend to be available for students in Hong Kong. Dr Yan also said, “It was the first time I witnessed how western-style lectures are conducted. They are all about respecting others to have different opinions, free to think, independent to argue. Egalitarianism but no authoritarianism. I can see that ideas were freely exchanged between the lecturers and their audience. Also, this institution [the MBL] took their social responsibility seriously as researchers regularly organized open seminars to deliver their scientific knowledge, in an easily understandable presentation, to the general public. I really appreciate this kind of charitable activity as it made me realize that scientists are not meant to be always isolated in ‘an ivory tower’, but can also share what they have discovered with people from non-academic fields.”
Dr Yan recalls that, “During my early PhD studies at HKUST, I read some interesting and significant papers from authors whose name I remembered but I had no clue who they were or where they were from. The JUSTL programme gave me the opportunity to attend lectures by these scientists; for example, Dr Mitchell Sogin (MBL) who works in the field of evolution biology, and Dr Donald M Anderson (WHOI) who works on dinoflagellates. These senior researchers really inspired me and I set them as my role model when pursuing my own career and making my own contributions to scientific research.”