Zachary Chiang

Zachary Chiang

Advisor: Jason Buenrostro
Zachary Chiang

I joined BIG right after graduating from UC San Diego with a degree in Bioengineering. I spent time in several research groups during undergrad, but the most formative experience was using Hi-C data to study non-coding variation with a postdoc in Bing Ren's lab. Counterintuitively, I only realized how much I enjoy research after being bored out of my mind as an intern at big pharma company.

 

What is your research area and why is it exciting?

Single-cell sequencing technologies provide a window into the heterogeneity of complex systems, but our understanding of how cells work collectively is lacking without spatial information. I work at the intersection of the genomics and imaging fields to develop new methods that will allow researchers to sequence cells in their native context. Technology development is particularly exciting to me because there's lots of room for creative thinking, and if you're successful, you get first crack at answering some really fundamental biological questions.

 

Why did you choose BIG?

My biggest priority when choosing a PhD program was work-life balance. BIG offered the one-two punch of an unparalleled biomedical research community and a vibrant metropolitan area.

 

What advice would you give to college students who are interested in a PhD in genomics/bioinformatics?

It takes confidence to continually seek out new opportunities that challenge you, and you may feel under-qualified a lot of the time, but that's how you grow as scientist. The only thing you truly need to succeed early in your career is a strong desire to learn.

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