Welcome to our Meet the Researchers blog series, where each post features one of the DarChemDN researchers sharing insights into their personal journey and professional life.
Today we introduce DC8 – Xiuwen Laetitia Lyu!
Where are you from?
I am from Tianjin, a small city next to the capital city of China. I start my journey of science there. My home town is known for its slow pace of life and the relaxing personality of the people there. In our place we say: Three meals in, two naps down, now that’s a day well done!
How did you adapt your new environment?
Adapting wasn’t a big challenge for me. Saarbrucken is my dream place. I lived in London before I came here and while I loved the city it was still quite exhausting. I moved to this small place and immediately felt the peace and chill – just like home.
Work experience & research
I have been working in Chemistry since my undergraduate studies and specialised in nanopores during my master’s. I also work for a few months in Tianjin institute of industrial biotechnology (TIB). During my time there, I first got to know the bottom up synthesis and fell in love with the artificial cell.
Future professional plans
I wish to keep working in the intersection of artificial cell and original of life, which is the combination of my new passion and my old dream. I will try my best to stay in academia and try to proceed to a postdoctoral position after this. Eventually, I dream of being an independent group leader after years of effort.
Hobbies
I love music and board games. I play Guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument. I am also a huge fan of video games. OUTER WILDS is my top recommendation for any sci-fi lover.
Short project summary
I work in Dora Tang’s lab in Universität des Saarlandes. My project focus on recreating the evolution of heterogeneity in prebiotic Earth using bottom-up synthesis. So far, I have focused on the transformation from droplet-based protocell (e.g. coacervate) to more complex membrane dominated organelle similar to the cells today.
A day in my life
I start my morning with a huge chuck of coffee. Then I start to check my email, plan my work and fight for confocal slots with my colleague XD. Then I process the data I obtained in the last day (if I successfully got some). After all these, it is normally around lunch time. I’ll have my lunch and again a huge load of coffee for sure. I will head to the lab after lunch. And I’ll go for gym after work if I feel energetic enough.
My take on synthetic biology
Synthetic cell is a powerful tool that can be used in multiple fields like the origin of life, drug development and industry. The most fascinating thing about synthetic biology is its simplicity and controllability compared to real life.
I believe synthetic cells can significantly accelerate drug development, enabling quicker responses to future diseases and challenges.
This blog series is set up by Stefan Georgiev, Xiuwn Lyu and Zhangfan Li – the DarChemDN outreach team.
Follow DarChemDN on LinkedIn and stay tuned for more updates on our journey in exploring the origins of life and the development of synthetic life forms!
