What influenced your decision to attend Weill Cornell for your graduate school education?
In the beginning, it was a particular lab with its exciting research that made me want to join Weill Cornell (I came as a Visiting Graduate Student Assistant from Cornell-Ithaca). Only after I arrived did I realize what a vibrant academic environment I had become a part of.
What do you remember most fondly from your time at Weill Cornell?
The highly exciting interdisciplinary research and caliber of excellent scientists, not to mention the long-term friendships I formed.
How did your time at Weill Cornell help you to become the person you are today?
There are too many positive interactions to mention. It was the continuous process of critical thinking and learning during my time at Weill Cornell that made me who I am today.
What was your proudest accomplishment at Weill Cornell?
Helping to establish a close connection between our computational work and the experimental work pursued by our collaborators at Weill-Cornell, which eventually resulted in a publication in Nature.
How did Weill Cornell help prepare you for your career?
There are lots of great career preparation opportunities offered at Weill Cornell, like Career Paths Symposiums and career-related clubs. In particular though, it was my boss at Weill Cornell that I am most grateful for. He helped and advised me in finding out what career path to choose and which directions I might not like to take.
What advice would you offer to an incoming student?
1) Study hard, eat and sleep well, and do not work on a Friday night.
2) Choose your lab based on your research interests and personal chemistry, less based on extrinsic factors.
3) Don’t be afraid to critically challenge your boss and seek challenges in return. It is the best way to improve and helps to develop an intellectual respect for yourself, as well as your environment.