Member Spotlight: Pengyi Yang, PhD

Pengyi Yang, PhD
Children’s Medical Research Institute & University of Sydney, Australia

Hometown
Guiyang, China

Current Residence
Sydney, Australia

Graduate Degree
PhD, Artificial Intelligence in Bioinformatics

Postdoc Work
Systems Biology, NIH Research Fellow, USA

Current Position
Head of Computational Systems Biology, CMRI, and Associate Professor, University of Sydney, Australia

• What is the current focus of your research?

  My research focuses on developing machine learning methods to reconstruct trans-regulatory networks (TRNs) that cut across multiple molecular and cellular programs for controlling cell identity and stem cell-fate decisions.

• How would you explain the significance of this work to a lay audience?

  While tremendous progress has been made in stem cell therapy, the inefficiency and lack of precision and robustness of stem cell-derived cells and tissues create significant barriers to their widespread application in clinics. My research program aims to tackle these challenges by generating computational methodologies and knowledge necessary for realising the potential of stem cell-based therapy in disease treatment and regenerative medicine.

• What do you find most rewarding about your work?

  Mentoring and interacting with postdoctoral researchers and students in my group to design computational methods and address challenges of research that together contribute to our understanding of stem cell biology.

• What is the most exciting aspect of your work?

  The most exciting aspect of my work is when we come up with innovative solutions to address the conceptual and methodological challenges in the research projects.

• What led you to become a scientist and to stem cell research?

  I have been interested in stem cells and their potential for regenerative medicine since my childhood. Leveraging large-scale single-cell multi-omic data and my expertise in computational systems biology, I am excited to make an impact on translating the knowledge discovered from my computational models for stem cell-based therapies and regenerative medicine.

• What guidance would you share in talking with trainees interested in pursuing your area of research?

  Be creative and take a multidisciplinary approach towards stem cell research. The combination of machine learning techniques and large-scale single-cell multi-omic data is transforming the field. Leveraging these technologies for stem cell research.

• Do you have any mentors or individuals who have inspired you in your stem cell work?

  I was introduced to stem cell research by my mentor Dr. Raja Jothi during my postdoctoral research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, USA, and I am now mentored by Professor Patrick PL Tam through my collaboration with the Embryology Unit led by Professor Tam at the Children’s Medical Research Institute, Australia.

• How do you spend your free time?

  I spend my free time with my wife, Lucy, and our four-year-old son, Auston, visiting local sceneries in Sydney and travelling across Australia.

• What is something your peers would be surprised to learn about you?

  Before I found my interest in science, I was a poor-performing student with low marks prior to my high school years.

• What do you most value about your membership with the ISSCR?

  I value the various opportunities provided by ISSCR to network with researchers and academics in the stem cell research community such as through this ISSCR Member Spotlight series.