The roles of women in science are creating more contribution importance in moving forward sci-tech development than ever before. Millions of female researchers in China who devoted knowledge, passion and efforts help to advance our paces in building the nation a science powerhouse in the world.
Women have long contributed to the progress of science. From theoretical studies to research labs, each scientific field has seen female researchers practicing, innovating and discovering, creating more and more great ideas that change our world. For our Special Issue on the World Women’s Day, we invited seven female scientists from SZBL to share their own stories on the journey exploring science. Come meet with them and learn how they overcome “roadblocks” and pursue dreams with invincible wills.
PENG Qin, Junior Principal Investigator
Institute of Systems and Physical Biology
PhD, Chongqing University and Joint Ph.D. Program, UIUC-UCSD
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California at San Diego, USA
Assistant Project Scientist, University of California at San Diego, USA
"Only by communicating with giants can we stand on the shoulders of giants".
From a senior high school student to a scientist, at every stage of my life, there’s always a great science master who leads me - my teachers. I admired Mr. Pan, my head teacher in twelfth grade, for his clear explanation of physics knowledge, and I often sought his advice to make up for my shortcomings in physics after self-study at night. When choosing a supervisor after receiving postgraduate recommendation, I consulted many senior schoolmates for advise and chose the Wang’s Group - a group recognized by high scientific research requirements. Start at the knocking on his office door, each consultation with my supervisor Wang profoundly influenced my understanding and thinking towards research and science. I went to a foreign country after my second year as a postdoctoral fellow. There I met Prof. Wang Yingxiao, who devoted passion, sensitivity and persistence for science. I was deeply influenced and felt totally immersed with the micro world I saw through a microscope - which for me was much more appealing compared with the snow white winter in Urbana or the sunny beach in San Diego. My experience in San Diego lasted for seven-and-a-half years. During the time I had the honor to work with Mr. Qian Xu. I listened to his edification (wholeheartedly love, determination to invest, learn by heart, careful innovation, concentric cooperation, sincere communication, and dedication to complete) again and again and learned from him rigorous and conscientious attitude towards research and study. All these strengthened my goals and choices in an unswerving way and made me become the person I dreamed of being when I was a child.
ZHANG Lei, Junior Principal Investigator
Institute of Cancer Research
PhD, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Life Sciences, BIOPIC, Center for Life Sciences (CLS), Peking University
“Don’t aim for success if you want it, just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally".
The quote sounds Buddha-like and lack of longer concern. For me, however, it explains something like simplicity, unaffected inner drive and mindset. Curiosity is one among the many factors that motivate me to become a researcher. I was fond of reading detective novels since I was a child. The process of finding clues and solving mysteries is quite similar to doing scientific research. The difference is that in actual work, we feel frustrated if we failed in solving problems.
In addition to an unaffected mindset and perseverance, opening up the entry that lead to more clues towards solutions is also very important for a researcher. Based on countless studies and experiments, I realized that there are many “hidden clues” in omics data which hold the potential to gradually disentangle the complexity of diseases. All of the above benefits from the great examples set by my tutors and the free academic atmosphere in Peking University. I hope I can inherit it well.
At last, I would like to share some words of Yang Jiang, from which I seek self-encouragement. One goes ‘Our problem is mainly that we read little but think a lot’; the other goes ‘a person will gain different degrees of cultivation and benefits after different degrees of practices’ .
WAN Jun, Assistant to the Head
Greater Bay Biomedical InnoCenter
Seven-year Clinical Specialization Program, Health Science Center, Peking University
PhD & Postdoc, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Research Fellow, Shenzhen PKU-HKUST Medical Center
I was born in a middle-class family in Beijing, and my journey of study is relatively smooth. My initial obsession with study came from what my father told me as ‘You have to go to college anyway though it might not be the only way out for your life; but by doing so, you will have the access to a wider world’. My father was one in the first batch of China’s government-sponsored international students. With the support he was able to travel around world in that 1980s and received good education. His words was like undoubtable for me and made me always feel eager to see the outside world.
By now, halfway through my life, I come to understand what my father’s saying really meant. There are many good viewpoints about learning, such as ‘wisdom in hold, elegance in mold’ or ‘reading and learning give you more choices in life’. For me, what I learned from my own experience was that reading and studying endow me with courage - brave, courageous and rational enough to face failure, attack, hurt, betrayal, and all kinds of problems and make rational decisions. This kind of courage has nothing to do with money, family background and status, but one’s self enrichment and accumulation. I hope all the girls can receive the fullest education as they can and make the best use of knowledge they acquired - which for me, the most formidable sword to take with as a warrior of life.
XU Huan, Associate Research Fellow
Institute of Chemical Biology
Bacherlor, Peking University
Project Leader, NorthChina PharmaceuticalGroup Central Research Institute
As a Jiangxi student born in a county and admitted to Peking University, I think the biggest secret of this success is concentration. I am wholeheartedly devoted to study and I find it the most intriguing thing to do. Sometimes even I myself was moved by this kind of spirit and wanted to do things in a more earnest, concentrated and devoted way. I tend to believe that a successful result is closely related to the way and attitude of how we get it done. This notion becomes extremely important when we want to become proficient in something and achieve our goal within our limited power.
Another secret key to success I think is perseverance. I am always persistent in everything, whether it is study or physical exercise. There is a popular saying in Harvard University: the real elite is either in the library or in the gym. I’ve been doing physical exercise every day since I was 14. For the last 18 years I have been doing so; by now in my 32, I am feeling healthy and still in good physical fitness. And that exactly explains why I am able to maintain high efficiency in study. One viewpoint I long admired from Chinese Chairman Mao was that we should have civilized spirit and brutal physique. Therefore, I think Chinese students should not be weak nerds, but should love sports, advocate fitness, and form a good habit of lifelong learning and physical exercise.
YIN Feng, Associate Research Fellow
Pingshan Translational Medicine Center
PhD, Peking University
Research Fellow, Nanyang Technological University
Postdoc & Associate Research Fellow, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School
For me, the most difficult part in my 21-year study experience from an elementary student to a PhD is attaining my PhD degree from Peking University (PKU). The average delay rate for graduation from the PKU School of Life Sciences is 90%, especially in the track of cellular mechanism study. To achieve research goals, not only a large amount of experiments is needed, but also the initial experimental design should be organized in a relatively correct logic. Many projects were found wrong after 1-2 years since started, and everything was in vain. As a persistent dreamer, I was very determined that I want to finish the PhD program I chose not matter how hard it is.
I graduated within expected time. I must say that it was not easy. Valuable experiences I gained throughout the whole process is about the habit of work-out, time management, reading, effective communication and so on. In short, we will feel worthwhile when we look back to find that we had set clear goal at the beginning and fulfill it with utmost efforts. May every girl can leverage their most powerful inner strengths and strive to find their own place where they can shine in this vivid world .
ZOU Yongkang, Associate Research Fellow
Institute of Cancer Research
PhD, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College & Tsinghua University
Postdoc, Peking University
Postdoc & Assistant Research Fellow, The Wistar Institute
In the cold winter of 2015, me, a skiing novice, fell down in the ski field and had a comminuted fracture on the leg, which would normally take 6-12 months to recover. That time, as I remembered, was only half a year before the completion of my postdoctoral project and I was also preparing application for overseas postdoctoral position. The reality did not beat me down and I made prompt decisions: 1. transferred to the best orthopedic hospital in Beijing for surgical treatment; 2. contacted my family for accompany to maintain the best physical and mental state; 3. explained to my tutor and prepared for the adjustment of follow-up work; 4. contacted my research partner and ask him to cooperate with re-arrangement of work; 5. canceled my trip to the United States for job interview and changed to online application and interview. Thanks to the excellent medical treatment and my loving families, I was able to stand in three months and walk on my own six months after the surgery. Meanwhile, I finished my postdoctoral work in Peking University and got the postdoctoral offer from Wistar Institute of the United States successfully.
It was a actually a longer story to tell. But above all these, what I really want to convey is our response towards hardship and difficulties. We should discard complaint and self-blame, but analyzing the situations and needs rationally when encountering all sorts of problems; also to have clear priorities to the most important, and seek useful resources and assistance to find solutions.
ZENG Guihua, Associate Research Fellow
Institute of Molecular Physiology
PhD, University of New Mexico
Postdoc, University of Florida
Postdoc, Northwestern University
I come from a small village in Hunan Province. Limited to the opportunity to see much of the world, I grew up with a special emotion in mind, or say a feeling of awe or curiosity, about my surroundings and the nature. That emotion pushes me to go into and explore what I now probably know as science but would called as the unknown in the past.
At a rebellious age, I chose to go to university in a different province after graduating from high school. I remembered vividly that was the very first time I had to be outside the town where I lived for 17 years. I used to believe that going to university means reaching the top of my life. However, it turned out that that was only another beginning for life. That new start did not lead me to a smooth journey. One year after I entered university, both my parents fell ill. Cancer and depression broke the peace of my family and I felt miserable and helpless. Fortunately, I made it through. Student loan helped me pay my tuition. The pays from those part-time jobs I did allowed me to make my own living. Various volunteer activities that helped the others had also helped me out. My personal experience strengthened my determination to engage in scientific research. And I realized that even the ember of light can brighten up and bring hopes to our world.
The development of times create more and more opportunities for learning and education. This is worth striving for and should be well cherished. Life is not always smooth, nor is it despairing. I believe that there will always be a bright future awaits if we are optimistic, grateful, persevering and brave.
