Young Researcher Conversations — Jiao Cao

Hello everyone! We have a brief conversation with Jiao Cao who is a doctoral student from Prof. Shuo Huang’s research group in the first episode of MolecularCloud Young Researcher Conversations.

MolecularCloud: Hello, Dr. Jiao Cao. As a young researcher, could you please briefly describe your daily schedual in the laboratory?

Jiao Cao: I usually arrive at the laboratory at 9 o’clock in the morning. Then I prepare the samples and equipments for a day’s experiments. I’d like to search or read the professional literature before lunch, if it’s too hurry to start an experiment in the morning. I normally start the experiment at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. If everything goes on well, the experiment scheduled for the day can be completed in time. Then I can process and analyze the data at night and arrange the experiments for the next day. If the day’s experiments are not smooth, I will continue the experiments at night and analyze the data on next morning.

MolecularCloud: Can you share what you’re thinking when you or your team achieved breakthrough research results?

Jiao Cao: As a scientific researcher, I felt extremely excited when I or others in the team made breakthroughs. I felt that my efforts were not in vain and I was sticking to the right direction. Then I would be very encouraged and vigorous in the following period of time.

MolecularCloud: What would you like to say to someone like you who is engaged in scientific research?

Jiao Cao: I’d like to say that we should have the courage to try. Most of the time, when we start a project, we first carry out sufficient research and predict potential results before starting an experiment. It could result in a lot of thinking while the real experiment remains not started. So we must have the courage to try. The beauty of scientific research is the uncertainty of the result. Every cloud has a silver lining. Being brave to try may make a difference. Take myself as an example, the professor once gave me a project and I felt it was extremely difficult. However, I had a new positive observation after trying. Although the original project was not completed, it was developed in a better direction.

MolecularCloud: Thanks to Dr. Cao for accepting our interview. We wish you good health and good luck on your scientific research!

Jiao Cao: Thanks for the interview.

We welcome more professors and students to join MolecularCloud to present their researches and publications, express their opinions about hot topics and share biological resources and information!