Previously "The Dataminer's Diary" | PhD in Plant Epigenetics and Bioinformatics |Bioinformatician| Did someone say coffee?
Hi there! I am Dr. Pei Qin (Sabrina) Ng, a PhD in in Plant epigenetics, RNA biology and Bioinformatics. During my PhD I have worked intensively on both bioinformatics analysis and benchwork experiments, including next-generation sequencing library construction- hence an ambidextrous bioinformatician.
I am currently a full time Bioinformatician at South Australian Genomics Centre (SAGC) of South Australia Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), at the heart of the Adelaide BioMed City.
As a Bioinformatician,
my current area of interest and expertise includes but not limited to
my current skillsets for programming and workflow management are as listed
Languages:
Workflow management, version control and documentations
I am also a Freiburg Rising Star Residence Fellow at the University of Freiburg and Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics. My research interest as a residence fellow is to investigate the role of RNA modifications in neuronal development with Dr. Valérie Hilgers.
I am currently affiliated with the University of Adelaide as a visiting research associate with the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology to continue my research on plant RNA modifications with A/Prof. Iain Searle.
“Science, when communicated effectively, is a universal language.” – Sabrina Ng Pei Qin And so, I did a TEDx talk on my PhD research. Plant whispers, RNA modifications, and bioinformatics.
Science has known no borders in terms of countries and cultures. Like music, science unites people from all walks of life, regardless of your upbringing and cultural background. Since I have set my eyes to pursue the journey of research, working in a multicultural setting is the icing on the cake to my research training as a scientist.
PhD management is probably the last thing new PhD candidates have in mind when they embark on their research journey. Similar to businesses and projects, a PhD needs to be well managed.
As I am writing this reflection on the first day returning to the lab, I am thinking what should I be looking forward to 2021. There is still a lot of work to be done, before I could compile my work into a thesis for submission. The uncertainty does worry me a little, as the the fifth wave of pandemic hits.
I find that the most challenging aspect of being a PhD research candidate is not just the research work itself, but also the people who you work with.
As I have grown to be more aware of how impactful good mentoring is to help students strive and grow, both in their career and personality.