Shu Lab – Retinal Research Group, UNSW SOVS

Academic Activities

Leadership Roles

  1. Co-chair of the ASIP Ocular Pathobiology SIG alongside Dr. Pat D’Amore https://www.asip.org/membership-community/scientific-interest-groups/ocular-pathobiology/
  2. Co-chair of the UNSW SOVS ECR Committee
  3. WEAVR Leadership Committee
  4. UNSW MedECAN Committee
  5. ISER Vice-President of the Asia-Pacific Region
  6. ARVO Board of Trustees (MIT Representative) from 2021-2023

Examiner for student theses/reports:

  1. Invited as the Expert Reviewer by Prof. Frank Lovicu for the Honours Thesis for the Department of Anatomy and Histology, The University of Sydney, Australia in November 2019
  2. Invited as an examiner by Dr. Lisa Nivison-Smith for the final year optometry student literature review in July 2021
  3. Invited as an examiner by Dr. Lisa Nivison-Smith for marking the Honours Thesis for the UNSW School of Optometry and Vision Science in December 2021

Grant Reviewer

  1. The Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia: ORIA (2018)

Journal Reviewer

  1. Journal of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System
  2. Experimental Eye Research
  3. Molecular Vision
  4. Theranostics
  5. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science
  6. Eye and Vision
  7. Optometry and Vision Science
  8. Clinical Experimental Optometry
  9. Endocrinology
  10. Asian Journal of Ophthalmology
  11. Annals of Medicine
  12. Acta Ophthalmologica
  13. Current Eye Research
  14. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
  15. Frontiers in Cellular and Developmental Biology
  16. Analytical Cellular Pathology
  17. Biomolecules
  18. Antioxidants
  19. Translational Vision Science & Technology (TVST)
  20. Aging and Disease

Publons ID

Editorial Roles

  1. Clinical and Experimental Optometry (CXO) Editor
  2. Review Editor on the Editorial Board of Molecular and Cellular Pathology (specialty section of Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology)
  3. Editorial Board for Frontiers in Ophthalmology

Science Advocacy

Participated in the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research Emerging Vision Scientists Day (EVS) program in 2021. Nominated by the BrightFocus Foundation to discuss the importance of funding eye research with health staff from Congressional delegation offices! https://www.eyeresearch.org/in-action/EVS2021

Invited speaker for the ARVO Advocacy Day Training Webinar and participated in ARVO Advocacy Day on February 25th 2022.

Awarded ARVO Emerging Advocate Award for 2022 recognising my documented history of advocating for eye and vision research at local, state/province and national levels, relative to their tenure in the field (Link).

Mentoring

  1. May 2020: Harvard Graduate Women in Science & Engineering (HGWISE) mentoring invitation to discuss how to use social media to promote yourself and your science. Invited by Dr. Magali Saint-Geniez
  2. October 2021: Invited by Dr. Zachary Saylor from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University to participate in a two-part interview series on my career journey to help students learn about the breadth of careers, sharing insights into my work and talk about what the day-to-day life is like in biomedical sciences careers.
  3. Special guest speaker for the ARVO Advocacy Day Training Webinar on 22nd February 2022 at 4-5:30pm EST on my experiences and tips in advocating for science funding to congressional staffers
  4. Invited speaker for the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass Eye and Ear Soft Skills Training Workshop on “Promoting your science in social media and building an online presence” on 28th February 2022 12-1pm EST.
  5. Invited speaker for UMass Boston Graduate Students Program ‘Neurobiology Seminar’ Dr. Jens Rister on March 4th 12-1pm. “Rewiring metabolism through epithelial-mesenchymal transition: insights from the retina”
  6. Invited speaker for Experimental Biology 2022 ASIP Career Central on “Social Media as a Tool to Promote One’s Research” held in Philadelphia, PA on Sunday April 3rd 12-2pm.
  7. July – August 2022; Mentor in the Girls in STEM Program by the Ewgis Research Program, is a virtual STEM research mentorship summer program where high schoolers and other STEM young aspirants work on their own research projects at no cost under the guidance of their mentor throughout July. A completely remote track is available for all participants. Mentee: Alena Appiah, 11th grader from Arizona, United States
  8. ASIP Trainee Hangouts
  9. ASIP Meeting Mentor for trainees – ASIP2023

Co-hosting the ASIP Trainee Hangout with Alexander Sougiannis and Michele Alves

  1. August 11th 2021, 6-7pm, ASIP Trainee Hangout Summer Block-Party
  2. October 4th 2021, 6:30pm, ASIP PISA 2021 Happy Hour – Meet and Greet With the ASIP Trainees
  3. December 2nd, 2021, 6:30pm, ASIP Trainee Hangout, Holiday Party
  4. February 28th 2022, 6-7pm, ASIP Trainee Hangout, Preparation for Experimental Biology 2022 featruing Dr. Magali Saint-Geniez and Dr. Diane Bielenberg
  5. June 28th 2022, 6-7pm, ASIP Trainee Hangout, Pathways to Independence featuring Dr. Mindy Engevik and Dr. Menglu Yang
  6. September 27th 2022, 6-7pm, ASIP Trainee Hangout – Making Tough Decisions in Your Career: How to Find the Right Lab and Mentor featuring Dr. Roberto Mota Alvidrez
  7. January 9th 2023, 6-7pm, ASIP Trainee Hangout – ASIP New Graduate/Post-Doctoral Members Meet and Greet with newly recruited trainees to answer their questions about being part of ASIP and discuss the opportunities that ASIP provides for volunteering, awards and conference presentations
  8. October 21st 2023, 6pm, PathoMingle: The ASIP Trainee Hangout Pre-Conference Dinner

BioRender Templates:

  1. Metabolic Assays – Using Seahorse Analyzers
  2. Signaling Pathways Underlying EMT and EndMT in Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
  3. Canonical and Non-canonical TGFb Pathways in EMT
  4. EMT of RPE

Workshops attended:

March 25th 2020: Harvard Medical School Postdoc Office: Imaging Solutions for Scientific Communication: Drawing Tools and Illustration Features of Powerpoint

March 26th 2020: Harvard Medical School Countway Library: SciENcv: Overview of the NIH Biosketch tool by Scott Lapinski

March 29th 2020: Cell Press Webinar, Essential tips for publishing in high-impact journals by Dr. Rose Zhu, Associate Scientific Editor, Joule (Link)

February-March 2021: altMBA by Seth Godin Akimbo (Link)

“The altMBA is an online leadership and management workshop. Over 4,000 hand-picked students from 74+ countries have completed this thirty-day intensive, using live video calls, coaching and extensive group work. Our success has been featured by the Stanford d.school and our philosophy was discussed in a recent article in the MIT Sloan Management Review.”

May 1-3, 2023: Digital Image Analysis with ImageJ hosted by NeuroTechnology Studio with Dr. Lai Ding https://www.bwhneurosciences.org/neurotechnology-studio/join-our-newsletter/

Program Schedule:
Session I (May 1st) ImageJ for beginners: basic ImageJ functions, measurement, filtering, background subtraction, cell counting, particle analysis, and ethics on image processing.

Session II (May 2nd) Advanced ImageJ: morphology filter, advanced thresholding methods, using ImageJ on specific topics including: FRAP, colocalization and wound assay, designing image analysis protocols.

Session III (May 3rd) ImageJ Macro Programming: introduce ImageJ macro programming language, record image process protocols as macro, batch process multiple images, user interactive features in macro, case study with sample codes. This session is aimed towards non-programmers; however, we do expect the participant to have a basic understanding of programming flow control syntax (“for” loop, “if-else” control). The participants are strongly encouraged to go through a brief tutorial on the ImageJ official website before the workshop. http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/developer/macro/macros.html

Teaching Institute: Theory, Practice & Navigating STEM Higher Ed by Harvard Medical School and Simmons Univeristy https://postdoc.hms.harvard.edu/teaching-institute; HMS/HSDM Office for Postdoctoral Fellows and The Center for Excellence in Teaching at Simmons University are offering a 4-day intensive Teaching Institute for HMS postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty at Simmons University. Monday, July 31 – Thursday, August 3, 2023 | 9:00am – 5:00pm Daily; Harvard Medical School, Countway Library, Minot Room, 5th Floor, 10 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115

Course Instructor: Jennifer Herman, PhD, Associate Professor of Practice in Education and Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching, Simmons College (Bio)
(Keynote speakers and facilitators to be added as they are confirmed)

Workshop Description: This four-day Institute on college teaching is designed to equip postdoctoral fellows in the STEM professions with the knowledge and skills needed to prepare them to teach and design undergraduate courses in a PUI or teaching-focused institution. The curriculum integrates a discussion of theory and current research related to teaching in higher education with actual practice. Participants will be actively engaged in designing and delivering multiple lessons using best pedagogical practices, including theory and application in their particular discipline. Participants will work collaboratively throughout the Institute to discuss readings, provide peer feedback, reflect on their experiences and course content, and build a teaching toolkit through hands-on experiences.
Each day will conclude with co-facilitators and guest STEM faculty leading a mentored discussion on the evolving life of the academic that introduces participants to the broad landscape of higher education today and its impact on career advancement. The participants will hear from leaders in the field and build a tool kit that will help trainees successfully navigate an academic appointment in STEM Higher Education. This institute will provide the knowledge and skill set needed to succeed and advance in a tenure-track position. Individual participants will gain confidence and leadership that will allow them to transform the culture as they advance through academia.
All course activities and materials are incorporated into a resource book that participants can use throughout their teaching careers.
A course completion certificate will be given to all who attend the course and complete the final day’s group presentation.

Participant Learning Outcomes: After completing this course, participants will be able to:
– Analyze, share, and reflect on theories of student learning;
– Discuss and reflect on a variety of college teaching methodologies;
– Apply the backward course design model to lesson development;
– Apply a variety of teaching techniques to enhance student learning;
– Reflect and discuss the influence of the STEM professions on teaching theory and practice;
– Design and deliver a lesson in their discipline based on best pedagogical practices;
– Incorporate reflective practice into their work;
– Explain common challenges in navigating STEM academia;
– Develop peer and professional networks in STEM academia.

Completed the Mental Health First Aid Training at UNSW https://www.wellbeing.unsw.edu.au/mental-health-first-aid-training on August 29th 2023

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Harvard SciPhD Training Program Program

Custom SciPhD program for Harvard Medical School and associated institutes.
Business of Science Fundamentals
Communications for Scientists
Project Management for Scientists

Mar 25, 2021 02:00 PM
Apr 1, 2021 02:00 PM
Apr 6, 2021 02:00 PM

The Business of Science – March 25: Covers kinds of career choices, critical skills valued in organizations (technical, business and social), how to map experiences and accomplishments to job requirements and use that to develop a targeted resume.
Communications – April 1: Includes our four components related to real-world experiences: Technical Literacy, Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence, and Style Flexibility.
Project Management – April 6: Focuses on how project management relates to every day science activities, using planning to anticipate and mitigate risk, using SWOT analysis to maximize likelihood of success, Project Management tools, and translating these skills in the lab. 

Leadership Courses

  1. September 2021: Learn to Lead UNSW Virtual Course; verification: https://www.credly.com/badges/ce693d6a-3560-4cd0-8bc0-681d43ba6099/twitter
  2. February 2021: altMBA45 (Akimbo, Seth Godin). This course celebrates our shared humanity and provides students with the skills they need to be impactful leaders and make meaningful change.
  3. October 2021-2022: Flom Leadership Program by American Academy of Optometry
  4. October 2-4th 2022: ASIP Leadership Academy, Rockville, MD https://www.asip.org/career/asip-leadership-academy/ This event will be limited to forty (40) participants who hold entry level tenure-track or nontenure-track academic faculty positions (assistant professor or equivalent) or similar positions in non-academic institutions (government, industry, or biotech) led by Deb Elbaum Coaching, LLC and Heather Evans from Catalyst of Awesomeness and Facilitators Dr. Pat D’Amore, Dr. Cecilia Yates, Dr. Robinna Lopez, Dr. Jennifer Sanders, Dr. Kari Nejak-Bowen, Dr. Richard Mitchell and Dr. Satdarshan (Paul) Singh Monga.