Hanlu Shen

EDUCATION

College / University

Imperial College London

Highest Degree

Bachelor of Science

Major Subjects

Biological Sciences (Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics)

Country

China

Lab Experience

Microscopy (light, fluorescence), DNA extraction and quantification, PCR, qPCR, gel electrophoresis (agarose, SDS-PAGE), Western blot, bacterial culturing, bacterial transformation, immunofluorescence, basic bioinformatics

Projects / Research

2024: engineering blue-fluorescent bacteria to investigate the effect of the bacterial RTC system on infection localisation. (Bachelor’s final year project, Prof Martin Buck, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London)
2023: optimising microbiome DNA extraction in low biomass samples to characterise microbiome dysbiosis using shotgun metagenomic sequencing for gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis. (Summer undergraduate research project, Prof George Hanna, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London)

Scholarships / Awards

2024 – 2025:	Stipend by the International Max Planck Research School
2024:	Graduated with First Class Honours at Imperial College London
2023:	Awarded the Department of Life Sciences UROP bursary for summer research project at Imperial College London

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS AND GOALS

My current interest lies in the study of microbiology, in particular, the physiology of bacteria and the development of antibiotic resistance and ways to prevent it. I am also interested in the uncovering various cellular processes on the molecular level, such as mitochondrial functions and gene regulation. These important facets of biology are fundamental to understanding many human diseases. Furthermore, I find the research in the field of neurosciences highly impactful and exciting, which is an avenue I have yet to study in detail. Through this course, I hope to explore these topics and expand my skillset, especially computational skills, in preparation to conduct impactful research in the future.