This summer, the Class of 2025 will graduate from Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), carrying with them the wisdom and courage forged in university to embrace infinite possibilities. At GTIIT, they have persevered through challenges brought by the pandemic, conquered academic puzzles, broadened international horizons, celebrated cultural richness, and discovered their true passions, showcasing the exemplary spirit of "Dream it. Do it." through each innovative practice.

GTIIT will launch a series of interviews featuring the Class of 2025 undergraduates. Let's delve into these powerful stories of passion and perseverance, and witness how their defining moments of efforts blossom into fruition.

High school: Chaoyang Experimental School

Program: Biotechnology and Food Engineering

Awards:

2020-2021 Dean List

The Second Prize of GTIIT Microbiology Speech Contest

Offer:

University of California, Riverside（Direct-Ph.D. admisson with full scholarship)

At first, Yuxiang didn’t talk much. However, when it comes to the subjects he loves, he became a voluble person. Since his freshman year, he has been closely following the research in the field of biology. At GTIIT, an environment that highly values individual development, he sticked to his strengths and made full use of the resources, finally receiving a Direct-Ph.D offer with full scholarship from University of California, Riverside through excellent research achievements.

Let’s walk through Yuxiang’s story – his fulfilling journey of scientific exploration at GTIIT.

Biology is a Nuanced and Complex Subject

As a Chaoshan student, Yuxiang firmly chose GTIIT for its available international resources right at his hometown. His passion for biology, which began in middle school, led him to choose Biotechnology and Food Engineering program. “Biology is a nuanced and complex subject requiring a solid science and engineering foundation and muti-disciplinary integration. This is what makes it so fascinating.”

Upon entering university, Yuxiang quickly adapted to GTIIT’s teaching model. Like a seed in fertile soil, he made full use of campus resources, closely followed updates of his major, and planned his university life early on. He thinks the first and second years are the foundation-building period, where GTIIT arranges many theoretical courses in physics, mathematics and biology. Though boring, these courses are the foundation for further study. “Once I've built a solid foundation, I'll dedicate more time to what I love,” he said.

“I don’t have an outstanding GPA. GPA is important but it’s not everything, just one of the ways to assess a student. If you’ve worked hard enough, try to give more time to your interests and improve your overall abilities. Many students avoid challenging electives due to fear of a lower GPA, but university is a great stage for exploration and experimentation.” To find his interests, in addition to required courses, Yuxiang has taken as many as 42 elective credits. “GTIIT offers a highly flexible elective system, allowing us to explore widely.”

Yuxiang’s continuous exploration across multiple fields gradually sparked his interest in scientific research. Since his freshman year, he has been closely following the research trends in complexity science. “This is a field with great potential. The 2021 Nobel Prize winner also came from this field. However, most people tend to associate it with physics and mathematics. At that time, I also had no idea how it could be connected with biology.”

Wrong E-mail, Right Mentor

“One day, I received an e-mail from Prof. Xu Peng. The recipient’s name was the same as mine, but it was a project I had never seen before. It turned out that Prof. Xu’s research group had a doctoral student who had the same name as me.” This beautiful misunderstanding led Yuxiang to start following Prof. Xu’s papers. “His papers opened a window for me. He is from chemical engineering, and I’ve never taken any of his courses. But one of his research directions happens to be the integration of complexity science with biology.”

The misdelivered e-mail seemed like a key, opening a door to more possibilities. To seize this opportunity, Yuxiang made a lot of effort. “Since Prof. Xu is not from my major and didn’t know me, I needed to get full prepared to prove my capability to him.”  Drawing on the knowledge he had acquired in class and the experience he had gained in other research groups, he worked out a detailed experimental plan and sent it to Prof. Xu Peng. Eventually, he won this opportunity and became the “second” Yuxiang in the research group.

In Prof. Xu’s research group, Yuxiang is mainly responsible for the scientific research project on lipoprotein production. By utilizing genetic and metabolic engineering, he aims to enhance enhance lipid production in Yarrowia lipolytica. “This is my first time independently leading a research project,” Yuxiang said. “But Prof. Xu highly values my input. After finalizing the general direction, he gave me ample freedom to explore. I’m truly grateful for his trust. He also cares about every member in his group. When he was on a business trip in the America, he even presented my project at an academic conference, which attracted the attention of many professors.”

To better finish the project and strengthen research foundation, Yuxiang decided to stay in school as a research assistant in his Gap Year. When making this decision, he recalled lyrics from Eason Chan: “With the courage to pause, even without an ending, one can still have fun.” In the following one year, he spent most of time in lab. During the fermentation experiment, he needed to monitor various parameters of the fermenter and checked time even when eating and sleeping. “Looking back, it’s not easy, but fortunately, GTIIT has many professors who are willing to help. They gave me a lot of advice on application.”

With his rich experience and in-depth understanding in scientific research, Yuxiang stood out among many applicants. He got a full - funding direct - PhD admission offer from UC Riverside without taking English proficiency tests. “I talked to the professors online for over an hour. The next day, I had a sore throat and could hardly speak,” Yuxiang still remembered the interview. “At that time, I didn’t have much confidence and planned to apply for the master’s-to-PhD program at other universities as a backup option. However, Prof. Xu always had confidence in me.”

Looking back on his university years, Yuxiang said, “I have been preparing all the time.” With his future in sight, he is about to step onto a broader international stage, delve deeper into the field of research, and create his own splendid chapter.