Yujia Qing

Fellowship: Glasstone Research Fellowship in Science

Title of the research: Transmembrane chemical signalling

About the research

The investigation of chemistry at the single-molecule level provides reaction details that are masked in ensemble experiments. The use of engineered protein nanopores as nanoreactors allows individual bond-making and bond-breaking events to be monitored in real time, which modulate the voltage-driven ionic current through a pore. Our research focuses on studying single-molecule chemistry, particularly that of polymers, under nanopore confinement. The chemical insights gained at the molecular level has been applied to construct a mobile molecule, which can move biopolymers within a nanopore sensor for sequence analysis. In parallel, we are interested in engineering protein nanoreactors to achieve vectorial catalysis.

How will this fellowship help my career progression?

The Glasstone Research Fellowship has provided my postdoctoral salary and a substantial amount of research allowance during the funding period. As such, I have been able to establish my independence as an early-career researcher and explore research topics of long-term interest along with my DPhil colleagues. In addition, I have been involved in departmental examinations and collaborated with groups, both internal and external, as a research investigator.

The support the University provides

Oxford Chemistry is dedicated to fostering young scholars. The research facilitators at Chemistry have provided invaluable advice to my career development and act as a liaison with other sections, such as the finance team, to ensure smooth funding applications. The department has also organised termly meetings for early-career fellowship holders to enable information exchange and to encourage network building across sections.

Background

I graduated in 2012 with a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Sheffield. Later, I moved to the University of Oxford to complete a MSc in Pharmacology and a DPhil in Chemical Biology. In 2019, I started my Glasstone Research Fellowship in Science and joined Magdalen College as a Fellow by Examination. In 2022, I was appointed as an Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry and Tutorial Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall.