Yuyang Yan: ‘I am so lucky I could develop my interest in axonal regeneration’

What is your name?  

Yuyang Yan

Where are you from?  

China

To which class do you belong? 

MSc Translational Neuroscience, Class of 2020

Where and what did you study before joining Imperial College London?  

BSc Biochemistry at The University of Liverpool

How did you find your Master experience at the College?  

Perfect. It gave me the opportunity to explore the area I am really interested in. It also provided me with the basis of scientific research and how to be a young scientist

Which research project did you work on? 

Studying the mechanisms underlying axonal regeneration

Where are you now?

​I am a research assistant in Professor Simone Di Giovanni’s lab

What are you working on? 

I am working on the characterization and correction of Cdkl5 nuclear function in human CDD neurons during maturation

What is the most important lesson you learnt as a Master student? 

To solve a problem independently, to work independently as well as in a team

How did the Master programme help you get to where you are now? 

All the modules are instrumental in understanding the basics of neuroscience as well as designing experiments to answer a specific research question. Moreover, my personal tutor gave me many useful suggestions, not only for my master, but also for my future plan. Last but not least, I am so lucky I could develop my interest in axonal regeneration. I did my master project in Prof. Simone Di Giovanni’s group, which was friendly and lovely. This lab experience deepened my interest in axonal regeneration, I became familiar with all the lab members, and I decided to stay in this perfect lab for my future study