John Shin
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I did a directed studies project in a lab during my undergrad and have been hooked on research ever since. I can think of no other career more stimulating. Research is never constant and never repetitive. Every day brings a new question to explore and a new challenge to work through. I also love teaching and together academia seems like a great fit for me.
Why did you decide to study at UBC?
I was interested in research on fundamental mechanisms of how cells work using a powerful and robust model organism that did not entail any animal cruelty. I was also looking for a supervisor doing quality research who placed on emphasis on student learning. Dr. Loewen's lab at UBC met and surpassed all of these requirements. Moreover, the Cell and Developmental Biology graduate program I am in was very compelling because of its multidisciplinary focus.
What was the best surprise about UBC or life in Vancouver?
I was surprised at how easy graduate studies is compared to undergrad. Although the difficulty of the material is increased significantly compared to undergrad, it is easier because you are studying topics you are passionate about which require thinking and creativity rather than rote memorization (I hated this the most about the style of teaching in most undergrad courses I have experienced).
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
Work hard, play hard. It is natural and absolutely necessary for grad students to work long and ungodly hours to be successful. However, you need to balance this with having a phenomenal time in your few free moments to prevent from burning out. Luckily, Vancouver is a beautiful city so it's not hard to find ways to relax and have fun.
Learn more about John's research
We have discovered that a common lipid/fat present in cell membranes called phosphatidic acid is able to detect changes in the internal pH of the cell. Using Baker's yeast as a model, we found that the cell responds to loss of nutrients in the environment by changing the internal pH of the cell from alkaline to acidic. Under acidic conditions, phosphatidic acid undergoes a chemical change that causes inhibition of genes required to produce membranes for cell growth. Hence, nutrient detection is linked to cell growth via a lipid/fat sensing pH in yeast. This finding has important implications for cancer as both phosphatidic acid and pH play important roles in tumour progression.
