About me

Experienced applied data science researcher with a PhD background in Computational Neuroscience. Projects experiences include natural language processing of clinical notes, large-scale genetics data analysis, movement performance prediction using time series brain signals, as well as modelling of pathological images. I am a frequent participant in medtech Hackathons, where I enjoyed creating novel analytical solutions for complex real-world problems. My career goal is to bring disruptive impact to our society via cutting edge technologies.

Work Experience

Data Scientist - Omics data - Machine learning application, GSK

• Develop ML pipeline to perform target nomination, causal network inference and in silico perturbation

 

• Validation, benchmarking and optimization of statistical and machine learning models

Research Associate , Imperial College London

• Annotation of patient disease profile via natural language processing of clinical documents
 - Optical character recognition, RegEx pattern matching, Name Entity Recognition, pre-trained Bert text embedding
• Genome wide association study of neurodegenerative diseases
 - Detect potential causal genetic variants in a sample that comprised of 2.6 millions Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (Linear Mixed Effect Model, LDSC, MAGMA, gene set enrichment)
 - Evaluate the causal relationship of hit genes using eQTL data (Bayes Factor colocalization), single cell RNAseq (MAGMA cell type specificity), and tissue transcriptomics (WGCNA)
 - Designed a browser application for users to search for genotypes information (R shiny)

Principal Investigator, The Alan Turing Institute Data Science Hackathon


• Modelling Amyloid Beta Plaque Formation in Alzheimer's Disease using VAE and VGG-16 Project link
  - Development of image segmentation methodology to automatically extract amyloid plaque regions from immunohistochemistry stainned brain images
  - Leverage Variational Autoencoder (VAE) and pretrained VGG-16 convolutional neural network for the extraction of amyloid plaque morphological features
  - Evaluate the relationship between plaque image features and spatial transcriptomics gene expression information


Research Associate, University College London


• Identify the key features in brain oscillation that influence motor-behavioral outcome
  - Time frequency spectral analysis, linear mixed effects models, permutation statistics
  - Created recurrent neural networks (LSTM, GRU) and Bayesian optimized XGBoost models to learn the relationship between brain oscillations and motor behavior
  - Using SHAP approach to evaluate the key determinants in model decision
• Generated a data processing pipeline for the neurophysiological and behavioral data
  - Multi-sources data extraction, alignment, noise detection and removal
  - Neuronal spike sorting: filtering, SVD whitening, PCA, superparamagnetic clustering
• Designed and engineered training devices for monkeys
  - Programmed an android app and Arduino device for cue delivery and trial counting
• 3D registration of brain recording location using stereotaxic and MRI image coordinates
  - MRI brain image processing, 3D rigid transform
• Performed brain implants and electromyography surgeries as the second surgeon


Businees Partner, LebeLohas


• Running a 3-person business that promote eco-friendly way of living
  - Webpage design, business planning, social media marketing

Education

Computational Neuroscience (PhD)
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg


• Grade: “magna cum laude”
• Investigation of a novel mechanism in synaptic vesicle release
- patch clamp recordings, virus production and purification, shRNA design, cloning
• Validation of a mathematical model of calcium dynamics in synaptic boutons
- Optical device assembly and imaging parameters optimization
- Designed a high-throughput pipeline for quantitative time serious image analysis
- image alignment, noise filtering, artifact removal, automatic ROI detection
• Supervision of undergraduate and master students
• Teaching of 10-15 undergraduate students at practical laboratory sessions
• Organization of conferences

Physiology (MPhil)
The Chinese University of Hong Kong


• Investigation of the effects of iron-loading on the memory formation in the rat
- Multi-electrode field potential recording of hippocampal long term potentiation
- Acute brain slice preparation, transcardial perfusion, brain region dissection
• Teaching of 40-60 medical students at practical laboratory sessions

Molecular Biotechnology (B.S.)
The Chinese University of Hong Kong


• Genetic association study of Reading Disability
- TaqMan Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms genotyping
Measurement of mRNA expression levels in human tissues

Leadership and Team-working

Director, London Postdoc Network

website establishment
• Promotion and organization of medium-scale (300+audiences) virtual events

Oxfam Youth Campaign Partners

• Public booth holding for the promotion of energy saving
• Deliver talks in secondary school about climate poverty
• Visiting a climate change afflicted village in the Philippines
• Interviewing the director of Hong Kong Observatory

Internal Vice President, Karate Club, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Management of club operations, activity organization and event promotion
• Organization of a carnival booth, promotion of the event to commercial parties and acquisition of commercial sponsors