Huijing Wang (she/her)

Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Department of Physics

Hometown: Nanyang, Henan, China

1. What are your academic and/or professional goals? What strategy single cells use to tune their response to environmental stimuli is a fundamental question. I am working on understanding the mechanisms that single cells respond to stimuli in the context of complex regulatory networks. The research helps predict cell behaviors and fate, which may shed light on precision medicine and health care related questions. Currently, my academic goals are to continue solving the mystery of complex regulatory networks in single cells using various tools, such as microfluidic devices, machine learning, and modeling, and to contribute to the welfare of society.
2. Tell us about a significant moment in your journey at CMU so far. Since I arrived at Carnegie Mellon, I've been most thankful for the opportunity to work with Dr. Fangwei Si to develop research projects on bacteria physiology. With his support and input from other faculty members in the department, I am motivated to approach the problems from various perspectives, and learned new experimental and computational methods, such as microfluidic device fabrication and single cell image analysis, for solving questions. I am also grateful for the opportunity to participate in various conferences and seminars on campus. I have chances to communicate with top scientists in the fields, advance my research, and widen my outlook.
3. What do you like to do in your time away from academic work? I love outdoor activities, such as hiking, ping-pong, and painting in watercolor. I practice drawing on location in the city during the weekends, which enables me to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Pittsburgh and relax my mind. Recently, I have been more into small DIY projects, such as 3D printing a robot arm in my spare time. I also enjoy reading books. I joined the book club, Constructive Interference, in our department last semester and enjoyed talking to people and discussing different opinions. I’m looking forward to learning more about and developing a better understanding of American culture.
4. Tell us about your last memorable meal. What was it, where did you have it, and who were you with? The last memorable meal I had was for celebrating Iman’s graduation, the first undergraduate student in our lab, who majored in physics. We went to Pasha Mediterranean Restaurant for food. The restaurant is beautifully decorated to embrace the Christmas holidays. There was a huge Christmas tree beside the wall stove, and we were sitting right beside it. Almost everyone in our lab was there, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and Dr. Fangwei Si, the PI. Mediterranean foods are new to me. I had delicious apple tea and falafel and zucchini platter. Everyone is sad that Iman is leaving since she is near graduation, but all are happy for her reaching the milestone and hope she will start another exciting journey.
5. What’s your favorite thing about Pittsburgh? Pittsburgh is a city with a rich cultural heritage. It was forged in the crucible of iron and steel, but now transformed into a bacon that is prosperous in technological development, healthcare, and medicine. My favorite things include dance shows and drama shows in the downtown area. The recent dance show I went to is Caida Del Cielo, by Rocio Molina. There are many trails and museums in Pittsburgh city. I enjoy hiking on trails in Schenley Park and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. And the Carnegie Museum of Natural History is such a pleasure to visit. I feel so lucky that I live in a friendly and warmhearted neighborhood.