Growing up, I was a nature-loving kid who believed cacti actually have a soft heart inside, and silkworms could hear my piano songs. Summer evenings were spent chatting with fireflies alongside my grandma, fall mornings crafting leaf skeleton bookmarks for fundraisers, and spring afternoons organizing snail and insect races in the neighborhood (often earning secret […]
Author: ANNA SU
I'm a PhD student in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at Yale University. I received a First Class Honours Bachelor's degree in Biochemical Engineering with a minor in Intelligent Systems at UCL. From a summer research experience in high school, I realized that programming builds the bridge between “ATGCs” and “XYZs.” Since then, I have been passionate about Knot Theory and Molecular Biology and was inspired to pursue a career in computational biology. Currently, my research focus is on developing algorithms for the identification of knotted proteins.
Reverse Engineering of PhD Applications
I’ve been getting questions on PhD applications lately, so I decided to share my journey here. The following workflow worked well for me because I knew what I wanted to study at an early age. When I tell people this, they always ask “How did you know what you want to study so early in […]
Some Thoughts on Generative AI vs Human Creativity
“It is by logic that we prove, but by intuition that we discover. To know how to criticize is good, to know how to create is better.” ― Henri Poincaré, Science and Method I think this is exactly why music and artworks generated by AI can be theoretically correct but emotionally hollow. Human artists get […]
“The Biology of What Is Not There”
Sharing an article from American Scientist: The Biology of What Is Not There. This idea of exploring evolutionary “absences” seems fascinating! Reading about knotted proteins in the past few years led to me thinking that natural selection only determines whether certain shapes are advantageous but it is “constructionist constraints” (chemical, physical, geometrical, topological) that define […]
Welcome!
I have requested this personal blog from Reflect@UCL this week and will share information about my past and ongoing research. My CV will be uploaded to “About Me” and some reading suggestions to “Readings.” Discussions, comments, and questions on any of my shared content are welcome! 🙂