PhD student Gaohan Yu delivered a talk and chaired a session at the American Physical Society Global Physics Summit. The event took place from March 16 to 21 in Anaheim, CA.  

The APS Global Physics Summit is a scientific research conference that unites more than 14,000 physicists from around the world to showcase their groundbreaking discoveries. 

Yu is a third-year physics PhD student and a member of Professor Jianhua Xing’s lab. His work focuses on combining statistical physics and machine learning approaches to address complex questions like cellular response. At the summit, Yu delivered a talk titled “Learning the cell dynamics through a data driving approach.” 

“The emergence of the complex system is very fascinating to me, and it’s a very good platform to learn it through biological systems because biology is very complex,” he said. 

This was Yu’s first experience presenting at a major conference, but he enjoyed the opportunity to share his research and attend other talks and presentations. He made new connections with other PhD students who are interested in combining approaches from biology and physics. While in California, Yu also spent one day exploring the attractions of Disneyland. 

“I’m very lucky I can present in my third year and even be a chair,” he said. “It’s really opened my mind to see how a conference works, how I should present my work, and how I should advertise my work and myself. It’s a really good experience.” 

As Yu pursues his PhD, he looks forward to finding a postdoctoral position and continuing to conduct meaningful research. 

“I think you have to find something interesting, and if you don’t have a clear idea yet, just learn more and read more. At some point, everything will be clear,” he said.