Alumni Spotlight on Jiyang Zhang

Jiyang Zhang, PhD, is a CRS alumna and a former PhD in Dr. Teresa Woodruff's lab. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Shuo Xiao's lab at Rutgers University. 

Thesis mentor: Teresa Woodruff, PhD

Thesis title: In vitro manipulation of mammalian ovulation 

What is your connection to the CRS community (mentor and position) and what is your current position? 

I was a PhD student from 2016-2021 in the lab of Dr. Teresa Woodruff, where I studied in vitro folliculogenesis and ovulation. I am currently working as a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Shuo Xiao at Rutgers University, focusing on female reproductive toxicology and novel non-hormonal contraceptive discovery. 

Could you describe your current research/studies? 

My current research focus is using an ex vivo mini-ovary model to study ovarian environmental toxicants, and develop an ovarian follicle bio-bank by vitrification and a high-throughput tiered screening pipeline for clinical compounds, endocrine disrupters as well as non-hormonal contraceptive candidates. 

What aspect(s) of CRS did you find most valuable?  

I think the interdisciplinary atmosphere in CRS is a very valuable experience for trainees. I was exposed to different fields in reproductive science research, and collaborations between labs are also very usual, where I gained a lot of important skills besides doing science. 

 What has been the most valuable aspect to your training as a reproductive scientist in CRS? 

I think the Reproductive Research Updates every Wednesday is very helpful for CRS trainees like me. I could listen to other people’s talks from different research aspects and enrich my knowledge in reproductive science. The active discussion also helped me to develop critical thinking skills. I also had the opportunity to present my work at RRU to a big audience with different backgrounds, and the questions I got always inspired me a lot in my further studies. 

What would you recommend to junior scientists in order for them succeed in their scientific careers?​  

I would recommend junior scientists to read more papers and practice their writing skills. For reading papers, you should know which papers should be prioritized as there are always so many to read, and which part of a certain paper you will pay more attention to. Also, it is important to make good use of some literature management tools, like Endnote or Zotero, which can help you keep track of the papers you read and you know what could be good references when you start to write. For writing, probably because I am not a native speaker, writing in my second language is relatively hard for me, but I believe for native speakers, scientific writing is still a skill that needs a lot of practice. I suggest you take advantage of any grant/proposal writing workshop, and start from writing small paragraphs, so you won’t be afraid to write a full-length manuscript! 

What do you think will be the next big contribution in the reproductive biology field?  

Based on my own research interest, I think the discovery of novel non-hormonal contraceptives is definitely promising and we really need some birth control pills that are safer, more affordable and more accessible. Other than that, I think the stem cell-derived germ cell (either oocyte or sperm) could be another big thing in reproductive biology.  

Do you have any notable stories from your time in CRS? 

I remember when I was in CRS, there was a regularly held event named Oncofertility Science Academy Program where our lab prepared variety of scientific sessions for students from middle school or high school. I was always taking care of the follicle isolation part where I did the demo to those kids and taught them how to do it by themselves. I felt so satisfied and rewarded when I saw how involved those kids were and the happy faces when they successfully got a follicle isolated independently. I always hoped that I could have such an opportunity when I was a kid to get to know what ‘science’ actually looks like. If someday one of those kids chooses to be a reproductive scientist, I would be very proud!