Name: Jiil (Brian) Chung
Lab Position: Graduate Student
Degree: B.Sc.
What’s your background?
I was born in South Korea, and studied immunology at U of T. I’ve always been interested in science and enjoy the uniqueness that is associated with research.
What research projects are you currently working on?
I am working on creating a zebrafish model of replication repair deficiency (RRD), which will be used to uncover novel therapeutics for the inherently treatment-resistant RRD tumours. I also run computational analyses of microsatellite instability (MSI) in human RRD cancers, which can translate to biological discoveries regarding the replication repair machinery and improve the clinical outcomes of individuals with RRD.
Do you have any advice for someone interested in a career in research?
Know that you will be challenged to find creative solutions to questions that no one has answered before. Think “big picture” when designing a project, hypothesis, and project aims. Have hobbies and hang out with friends outside of research to not get too absorbed into it.
What are your interests outside of science?
I enjoy playing tennis, driving to faraway places, and playing games.
What’s your favorite food?
I love Korean Fried Chicken (KFC).
Do you prefer coffee, tea, or none?
Research makes you like coffee more than anything else in life.