Getting to know postdoctoral research fellow Henry Chen
This news item is part of a larger series of profiles featuring graduate students and postdoctoral research fellows within the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester.
Henry Chung
Hometown: Queens, NYC
Anticipated Graduation Year: Graduated in 2015, currently a postdoctoral research fellow
Degree: PhD
Program: Biomedical Engineering
Research Group: Nanomembrane Research Group (NRG)
Describe your research project and why it's important.
My research deals with Microfluidics Device Making and Cell Migration. Essentially, this means the manipulation of fluid flow in the micro- and nano- meter scale. Microfluidics is currently making a major impact in biosensing, such as DNA sequencing and disease screening.
Why did you pick the University of Rochester?
When I looked through the University's lab webpages and publications I noticed many labs possess cutting-edge techniques and instruments. That's a big plus for research. Also, when I was invited for an interview I found the faculty members to be highly skilled and very friendly which was important to me.
What have you enjoyed most about your training so far?
The freedom to explore, and learning together with lab members.
What about the work/life balance?
I enjoy a high degree of freedom in terms of work/life balance.
What are your plans for the future? Where would you like to be in 5-10 years?
I'd like to go into industry to learn more and then eventually make my way back to academia. It's hard to foresee how the time frame would work out but that's the general idea.
What advice do you have for new students that are interested in working with specific faculty members on specific projects?
Get a early head start in finding out what you like and do not like. I simply asked the professor if I could join his group when I first started and it worked out well.
When should you start Networking for academic opportunities? How did you start?
As a Sophomore. I started as a research assistant in a summer internship program (between the sophomore and junior year).