LEARN News and Events

On 19 March, LKCMedicine Early Researchers’ Network (LEARN) organised the 3^rd LEARN Symposium to highlight our early researchers’ work and spur interaction among our scientists to collaborate and exchange ideas across disciplines. Dr Alvin Chew, Dean Postdoctoral Research Fellow and President of LEARN, delivered the Opening Remarks to over 53 participants, consisting of Faculty members, PhD students, Research Assistants, Associates and Fellows. He shared about LEARN’s journey since its founding in 2020 and made a clarion call to fellow researchers to join the FY24 committee to sustain the momentum of LEARN as the incumbent members move on. He thanked the Faculty Advisors, namely Assoc Prof Kevin Pethe and Assoc Prof Christine Cheung, and the LEARN Committee Members for their efforts in supporting our early career researchers.

This year’s symposium featured keynote lecture by Asst. Prof. Lynn Yap, who stressed on the need for soft skills, networking and time management. This was followed by an engaging Career Development moderated by Dr Wee Soon Keong, Research Fellow and Vice-President (Industry) of LEARN, with panellist speakers, Asst. Prof. Lynn Yap, Dr Makhija Harshyaa (LKCMedicine Dean Postdoctoral Fellow, Cofounder & Director at LambdaGen Pte Ltd.), Dr Samantha Wong (Co-Managing Director of Nucleate SG, Biomedical Scientist at EDDC (A*STAR), and former Life Sciences Consultant, and Dr Natasha Ng (Senior Research Fellow at A*STAR, Advisor of Biotech Connection Singapore, Co-founder of BetaLife, and Co-founder, BioMe Oxford). The panel of women leaders led an insightful discussion on embracing innovation and diversity in career paths with the symposium participants. LEARN has also worked with LKCMedicine Office of Innovation and Enterprise (OIE) to include an Intellectual Property workshop and NTU I&E talk. The symposium concluded with LKCMedicine Researcher Town Hall chaired by Assoc. Prof. Sanjay Chortimall, Kevin Pethe, and Christine Cheung and moderated by Dr Alvin Ng, NTU Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow and Vice-President (Academic) of LEARN.

During the Closing Remarks by Asst Prof Christine Cheung, the following presenters won the Best Oral Presentation and Best Poster Presentation awards (in no order of merit):

• Best Oral Presentation Award:
  • Jo Yi Chow (Lim Jue Tao Lab)

    Quasi- experimental approaches for estimating epidemiological efficacy of non-randomised field trials

  • Yijin Leow (Nagaendran Kandiah Lab)

    Biomarkers and Cognition Study, Singapore (BIOCIS): Protocol, Study Design, and Preliminary Findings

    • Dr Cheng Hong Sheng (Andrew Tan Lab)

      MetaMASLD: a webtool for interactive exploratory analysis of MASLD liver transcriptomics

       

• Best Poster Presentation Award:
  • Lee Khang Leng, PhD Candidate (Christine Cheung Lab)

    Deconvoluting Effects of Drugs on Endothelial Dysfunction using Human ‘Endothelial-Immune Cells-on-Chip’

  • Damien Chua, PhD Candidate (Andrew Tan Lab)

From Diet to Disease: The Impact of Dysbiosis and Dietary Fat on Angptl4-Mediated Gut Permeability in MASLD

• Pricilia Tanoto (Nagaendran Kandiah)

  Usefulness of the Test of Practical Judgement for the detection of MCI in Southeast Asian Population

• Nikita Bora (Joanne Ngeow)

Assessing protein structural properties of pathogenic missense variants using deep mutational scanning data

The following LEARN Awards were also given out to recognise the outstanding efforts of our researchers and our research support staff:

• LEARN Research Excellence Award
  • Dr Andrew Teo
  • Dr Chih Hung Lo
  • Dr Yadollah Ranjbar Slamloo
• LEARN Mentorship Award
  • Dr Theresia Handayani Mina
  • Dr Poh Zhi Sheng
• LEARN Community Service Award
  • Dr Ekaterina Sviriaeva
  • Ms Dayang Asyiqin

On 23 Feb, LKCMedicine EArly Researchers Network (LEARN) held a happy hour networking event in EMB Level 3 for 12 research staff and PhD students to unwind and discuss science over an assortment of Sushi delights. This monthly event alternates between EMB and CSB to better serve researchers in our dual campus.

On 26 January, LKCMedicine EArly Researchers Network (LEARN) organised an Industry Career Sharing and Happy Hour where LKCMedicine PhD alumni Dr Lee Shuen Yee (Senior Clinical Research Scientist (Global), Dyson), Dr Kelly Wong (Investment Analyst, EVX Ventures, and Business Development Manager, Carcell Biopharma) and Dr Natalie Yeo (R&D Scientist, Verification and Validation, Thermo Fisher Scientific) returned to CSB in Novena Campus to share their work experiences with over 30 research staff and PhD students. The dialogue session was moderated by Dr Wee Soon Keong, Vice President (Industry), LEARN and had several insightful discussions on transferrable skills, industry opportunities and research that value-add to science and technology. The event ended with a networking session for attendees to mingle the alumni speakers.

The LEARN Skills Award is a new initiative that underscores LKCMedicine’s commitment to fostering the professional development of our valued researchers and enhancing their skills crucial to our research community. In line with this commitment, we are offering a course reimbursement of up to $500. We encourage our peers to seize this opportunity to further our expertise.

Rear, L-R: Alvin Chew (NTU, Singapore), Dewei hu (CPR, Denmark), Francesco Vicini (SEMM, Italy), Alessandro Davini (SEMM, Italy), Sidak Minocha (CPR, Denmark), Hoang Son Luu (MPG, Germany), Oliver Mehlkop (MPG, Germany), Kaustuv Ghosh (IRB, Barcelona),

Front, L-R: Vlastimil Kulda (FEBS, Czech republic), Femke Hout, Van (Radboud university, Nijmegen), Maria Quintana Verdaguer (IRB, Barcelona), Goh Mee Yee (NTU, Singapore), Andrea Rodgers Furones (Radboud university, Nijmegen).

FEBS IUBMB ENABLE Scientific Organizing Committee Handover Meeting, 22‐25 Nov 2023, University of Cologne, Germany

Dr Chew Bing Liang Alvin (President, LEARN), and Ms Goh Mee Yee (Vice-President of Academic Affairs, GSC), represented LKCMedicine at this year’s FEBS-IUBMB-ENABLE (FIE) conference held at the University of Cologne, Germany. The FIE conference is uniquely organised by and for PhD students and postdocs from the host institution and counterparts in leading European institutes (Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands; IRB Barcelona, Spain; European School of Molecular Medicine, Italy; University of Copenhagen, Denmark; and the University of Cologne, Germany). During which, the ENABLE flag was handed over from Ms Franziska Baumann, Chair of the Scientific Organizing Committee 2023 (SOC23), to Dr Alvin Chew, Chair of the SOC24. This tradition signifies the change in leadership from University of Cologne to LKCMedicine, NTU, who was awarded the inaugural host rights of the first FIE conference outside of Europe in 2024. Dr Alvin Chew also presented an overview of Singapore, LKCMedicine and NTU, and our conference theme on “ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Reshaping biomedical and healthcare research” which builds on our school’s interests and strengths. FIE24 will be held at the Clinical Sciences building from Dec 4-6, 2024. All faculty, PhD students, and postdocs are highly encouraged to support the LEARN and GSC committees and reach out to them to join in the local organizing committee. 

LEARN x LKCMedicine GSC Happy Hour – Dec 2023

On December 1st, LEARN hosted its monthly Happy Hour at Co11ab, exploring with our researchers the opportunities available and sparking some creative ideas. This event concludes our Happy Hour series for 2023, and we’re excited to have geared up our team for future endeavours. Stay tuned for details on our upcoming events!

LEARN x LKCMedicine GSC Happy Hour – Oct 2023

On October 27, LEARN and LKCMedicine GSC hosted a spooktacular HalloLKC Happy Hour at EMB, bringing together researchers for a fun-filled trick-or-treat event. Researchers indulged in pizzas and donuts while spending hours catching up with one another. Here are some of our prize winners! We look forward to see you at our next Happy Hour, which will be held at Co11ab CSB on December 1, 2023.

LEARN x NucleateSG Meet-the-startups – Sep 2023

Exciting News for Life Science Enthusiasts, Innovators, and Biotech Entrepreneurs! On 26 Sep 2023, LEARN hosted NucleateSG’s first ever Meet-the-Startups event. We brought together two incredible local biotech startups, Dr Volker Patzel, PhDCo-founder and CEO of Avecris and Dr Natasha Ng, PhD Scientific Co-Founder and Advisor of BetaLife. During which, they reminisce about their startup origins, discuss opportunities for collaboration, and explore possibilities for individuals embarking on their journey into the industry. Stay up to date on Nucleate SG events and the latest Singapore science happenings via https://www.nucleatesingapore.xyz to receive first-hand updates.

LEARN x Novogene Happy Hour – Sep 2023

The recent theme features Professional Photoshoot for LKC researchers, skilfully carried out by our esteemed NTU Photography Team. It’s an opportunity to spotlight campus talent through staff and graduate student’s profile. Check it out on our LinkedIn Page soon!

2023 LEARN Grant Award Annoucement

Congratulations to the following researchers for being awarded the LEARN Grant! We look forward to your oral presentations in our next LEARN Symposium!

LEARN x Sciencewerke Happy Hour – Aug 2023

LEARN’s Happy Hour on 25 Aug 2023 was co-hosted with Sciencewerke at EMB! We had 43 registrants intermingling and learning over games facilitated by us. Up next: September 29 Happy Hour at CSB with Novogene and a chance to have your professional photoshoot taken!

LEARN x Vazyme x GSC Happy Hour – 28 Jul 2023

On 28 Jul 2023, we hosted an incredible turnout at our Happy Hour event at CSB with Vazyme and GSC! Thank you for making it such a memorable occasion. Join us again on the 25^th Aug at EMB for more excitement with ScienceWerke. Looking forward to see you there!

LEARN x LifeTech Happy Hour – 7 Jul 2023

On 7 Jul 2023, we celebrated 70 years of groundbreaking DNA discoveries at our Happy hour event with Life Technologies. Join us at our next event - 28^th July at CSB, with Vazyme and Graduate Student Club next. Hope to see you there!

FEBS IUBMB ENABLE Scientific Organizing Committee Kickoff Meeting, 15‐16 May 2023, University of Cologne, Germany

The Scientific Organising Committee (SOC) of the 2024 FEBS-IUBMB-ENABLE (FIE) conference held a 2-day meeting at the University of Cologne to officially kickstart the team and event organization.

Three representatives from Singapore, Dr Chew Bing Liang Alvin (President, LEARN), Dr Madhuvanthi Chandrakanthan (Vice-President of Academic Affairs, LEARN), and Dr Vanja Cnops (President, NUSMed PDA) attended the meeting.

Alvin presented an overview of LKCMedicine, LEARN and about Singapore. All other SOC members presented themselves and their own institutions. Besides Alvin and Madhu, the SOC2024 consists of 10 representatives from leading European institutes (Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands; IRB Barcelona, Spain; European School of Molecular Medicine, Italy; University of Copenhagen, Denmark; and the University of Cologne, Germany) and 2 advisors representing FEBS and IUBMB. The advisors are Dr. Vlastimil Kulda, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Czech Republic and Prof. James Murphy, IUBMB Representative (Chair Publication Committee); Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Australia. Team building activities were organised by FIE members Dr Fiore Francesca (SEMM, Italy) and Dr Clasien Oomen (Radbound University, Njimegen) to get to know each other better, set expectations and a strong team morale.

The SOC of the 2022 and 2023 conferences provided managerial and organisational insights based on their experience, and FIE representatives were present to provide further information and support. 

The theme, topics, and potential speakers of the conference were discussed, and the SOC 2024 provisionally agreed that the title of the conference would be “ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Reshaping biomedical and healthcare research”. Working groups were formed, goals and responsibilities were established, timelines and communication channels were set up.

This initial in-person meeting was an effective way to get the SOC2024 on the same page and provided the foundation for a smooth and successful project collaboration.

FEBS IUBMB ENABLE Team (FIET) visit to LKCMedicine

LKCMedicine was selected as the inaugural host of the first FEBS-IUBMB-ENABLE (FIE) conference outside of Europe in 2024. The FIE conference is uniquely organised by and for PhD students and postdocs from the host institution and our counterparts in leading European institutes. The past editions were held in Barcelona 2017, Copenhagen 2018, Nijmegen 2019, and Milan 2021, Seville 2022, and the next would be in Cologne 2023.

On 27 – 28 Apr 2023, LKCMedicine’s faculty, RASS, LEARN and GSC members warmly welcomed the representatives of the FIE Executive Board for 2024 alongside NUSMed Postdoctoral Association members who visited LKCMedicine to meet the local host members planning for the conference to survey the proposed sites for the activities to be held. The FIE guests are:

1. Ms Marie Sofie Yoo Tollenaere-Larsen, Research Program Coordinator, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research (CPR) 
2. Dr. Francesca Fiore, Coordinator SEMM IT
3. Ms Leyre Caracuel, Academic Office Coordinator, IRB Barcelona
4. Prof. Yang Mooi, Chair, IUBMB Education and Training Committee
5. Prof. Irene Díaz-Moreno, Chair of the FEBS Working Group on the Careers of Young Scientists; Faculty of the Institute of Chemical Research of the Scientific Research Centre, University of Seville, Spain
6. Prof. Jerka Dumić, FEBS Executive Committee, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Assoc. Prof. Yusuf Ali opened the meeting with an overview of LKCMedicine, including a summary of the education system and the School’s research strengths. Asst. Prof. Wilson Goh expressed the firm commitment of the Graduate students and Ms Winnie Tay provided clarity and insights on our administrative processes. Following which, Ms Marie presented an overview and the organization of FIE followed by an opened discussion. Site visit supported by Gaius and Zinbo from the Facilities and Operations Office. Dr Alvin Chew (President, LEARN) and Dr Madhuvanthi Chandrakanthan (Vice-President of Academic Affairs, LEARN) hosted the lunch, afternoon meetings, and dinner.

In Day 2, the meeting was rounded off by Dr Alvin Chew and Dr Madhuvanthi Chandrakanthan with closing remarks from Assoc. Prof. Kevin Pethe and Asst. Prof. Christine Cheung. The FIE guests shared that they are highly impressed with the LKCMedicine team and are excited for our planning progress towards the FIE2024.

LKCMedicine EArly Researcher Network (LEARN) Happy Hour was a blast at the Experimental Medicine Building on 28 Apr 2023. It brought together over 40 colleagues from LKCMedicine and other schools to relax and interact. The researchers enjoyed celebrating Friday night, sharing their experiences and struggles. This event also featured BINGO, an interactive activity in which the researchers played, laughed along with their friends, and had a chance to win attractive prizes. We are happy that LEARN events act as a platform for interaction amongst researchers from LKC to create deeper bonds in the community.

Do look out for our next Happy Hour event on May 26^th, 2023, at CSB, level 4 Pre-Function Area. We hope to see you there!

LKCMedicine EArly Researcher Network (LEARN) Happy Hour was a blast at the Experimental Medicine Building on 26 May 2023. It brought together over 40 colleagues from LKCMedicine and other schools to relax and interact. The researchers enjoyed celebrating Friday night, sharing their experiences and struggles. This event also featured BINGO, an interactive activity in which the researchers played, laughed along with their friends, and had a chance to win attractive prizes. We are happy that LEARN events act as a platform for interaction amongst researchers from LKC to create deeper bonds in the community.

Do look out for our next Happy Hour event on July 7th, 2023, at EMB, level 3 open space. This event is proudly sponsored by Thermo Fisher in celebration of 70 years of groundbreaking DNA discoveries. Thermo Fisher’s generous support has made this celebration possible, allowing us to gather and honor the remarkable achievements made in the realm of DNA research over the past seven decades. Hope to see you there!

We thank the LEARN Committee 2022 who took over the helm from the founding committee on 7 Apr 2022 to co-create a vibrant and conducive research culture. The team has achieved much during their tenure including 10 LEARN Board meetings, organized 6 happy hour sessions, 1 photoshoot, 2 industry workshops, the 2nd LEARN Symposium, facilitated the LEARN Grants and Awards 2022, and secured the FEBS-IUBMB-ENABLE 2024 (FIE 2024) conference for LKCMedicine to be the first out-of-Europe host institute.

On 3 March, LKCMedicine Early Researchers’ Network (LEARN) organised the 2^nd LEARN Symposium to highlight our early researchers’ work and spur interaction among our scientists to collaborate and exchange ideas across disciplines. Prof Lim Kah Leong, Vice-Dean (Research) delivered his Opening Remarks to over 64 participants, consisting of PhD students, Research Assistants, Associates and Fellows. He shared about his own early career researcher journey and key takeaways, thanked the Faculty Advisors, namely Assoc Prof Kevin Pethe, Assoc Prof Sunny Wong, Asst Prof Christine Cheung, and the LEARN Committee Members for their efforts in supporting our early career researchers. He also encouraged researchers to participate in the upcoming LEARN Grant Call, and to join the LEARN Committee.

The Symposium included an engaging Career Dialogue Session moderated by Dr Alvin Chew, President of LEARN, with panellist speakers, Asst Prof Christine Cheung (Nanyang Assistant Professor, LKCMedicine), Dr Vanja Cnops (President from NUS Medicine Postdoctoral Association) Dr Alvin Guo (former team lead of DUKE-NUS Early Career Scientists (DUNES) and Dr Michelle Dee (Country Medical Lead, Global Medical & Scientific Affairs, Malaysia, Singapore, & Brunei, MSD). Dr Vanja kickstarted the discussion by sharing on the results from National Postdoc Survey (NPS) 2021, and the panellists had an insightful discussion with the Symposium participants.

During the Closing Remarks by Asst Prof Christine Cheung, the following presenters won the Best Oral Presentation and Best Poster Presentation awards (in no order of merit):

• Best Oral Presentation Award:
  • Mr Chia Xin Wei, PhD Candidate (Hiroshi Makino Lab)

    Emergence of cortical network motifs for short-term memory during learning

  • Mr Tan Yaw Bia, PhD Candidate (Luo Dahai Lab)

    Molecular architecture of chikungunya virus replication complex assemblies

  • Dr Oliver Meldrum, ICL Postdoctoral Fellow (Sanjay Chotirmall Lab)

    Haemophilus-driven microbial networks in COPD associates with airflow decline, frequent exacerbations and altered mucus
    

• Best Poster Presentation Award:
  • Mr Loi Wen Zhao Gavin, Research Assistant (Zeng Jialiu Lab)

    Restoration of lysosomal function with acidic nanoparticles rescue cellular function in A30P α-synuclein neuronal model of Parkinson’s disease

  • Dr Wee Soon Keong, Research Fellow (Eric Yap Lab)

    The Urban Environment as a Hidden Reservoir for Acinetobacter baumannii with Clinically Relevant Sequence Type and Resistome

    The following LEARN Awards were also given out to recognise the outstanding efforts of our researchers and our research support staff:

• LEARN Research Excellence Award 2022
  • Dr Tomoki Naito
  • Mr Tan Yaw Bia
• LEARN Mentorship Award 2022
  • Dr Stefano Perna
  • Dr Alvin Chew Bing Liang
• LEARN Community Service Award 2022
  • Dr Wee Soon Keong
  • Ms Lew Qiao Jing

LKCMedicine EArly Researcher Network (LEARN) End Of Year Happy Hour had a celebration to say goodbye 2022 at the Experimental Medicine Building on Dec 29^th 2022. It brought together over 25 colleagues from around LKC Medicine and other neighboring schools to relax and interact. The researchers enjoyed celebrating the last working day of 2022 and shared experiences as early career researchers in a cozy setting. We are happy that LEARN events act as a platform for interaction amongst researchers from LKC to create deeper bonds in the community.

LEARN want to say thanks everyone for your support, may this new year be a full of great accomplishments. We will keep up with more exciting activities/events in 2023. 

LKCMedicine EArly Researcher Network (LEARN) Happy Hour had a blast at the Clinical Sciences Building on 25 Nov 2022. It brought together over 40 colleagues and guests from NUS Postdoctoral Association (PDA) to relax and interact. The researchers enjoyed celebrating the Friday night and sharing our experiences and struggles as early career researchers in a cozy setting. This event also featured board games with many researchers playing and laughing along with their friends. We are happy that LEARN events act as a platform for interaction amongst researchers from LKC to create deeper bonds in the community.

Do look out for the last Happy Hour of 2022 on 29^th December at EMB, level 3.  See you there!

On 23 November 2022, research fellows Dr Wee Soon Keong, Dr Fang Yang and Dr Ekaterina Sviriaeva, represented LKCMedicine EArly Researchers’ Network (LEARN) to participate in Postdoctoral Level UP event organised by NUS Medicine Postdoctoral Association (PDA) at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine MD4 building. Aside from networking with counterparts from NUS and learning more about their initiatives over food and games, both committees explored ideas on how to better serve and support the early career researchers community. The LEARN team is looking forward to hosting NUS PDA team during the upcoming LEARN events as well as the many opportunities to collaborate and grow together.

The LKCMedicine EArly Researchers’ Network (LEARN) committee is thrilled to announce that LKCMedicine has been selected as the inaugural host for the first FEBS-IUBMB-ENABLE Conference outside of Europe in 2024. ENABLE (EuropeanAcademy for Biomedical Science) is a unique initiative to support early researchers that was funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 programme that took off in Barcelona 2017. From 2022 onwards, it is sustained by funding from the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) and the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB). Two of our committee members, Dr Chew Bing Liang Alvin (President, LEARN) and Dr Madhuvanthi Chandrakanthan (Co-Chair of Professional development, LEARN), attended this year’s conference held at the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, Spain between 16-18 November 2022. This meeting paved the way to meet the ENABLE coordinators.

Group Photo featuring: (back row, left to right) Dr. Francesca Fiore, Coordinator SEMM IT; Prof. Irene Díaz-Moreno, Chair of the FEBS Working Group on the Careers of Young Scientists, University of Seville – CSIC; Dr Isabell Witt, Scientific Coordinator, University of Cologne; Dr Alvin Chew, Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellow at LKCMedicine; (front row, left to right) Dr. Clasien Oomen, Policy Advisor Research, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Leyre Caracuel, Academic Office Coordinator, IRB Barcelona; Alba Echarte, Academic Officer, IRB Barcelona; Dr. Madhuvanthi Chandrakanthan, Research Fellow, LKCMedicine; Dr. Moreno Papetti, Programme Coordinator, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Prof. Jerka Dumić, FEBS Executive Committee, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Croatia.

On 2 November, LKCMedicine EArly Researchers’ Network (LEARN) and Singapore Business Federation (SBF) jointly organised a panel discussion and networking session titled, “Connecting Science and Business to Develop Bilingual Leaders" at the HQ Seminar Room. Nearly 40 young researchers, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, as well as representatives from over 15 companies (MNCs, SMEs and start-ups) attended the discussion moderated by Ms Lisa Liaw (Council Member, SBF). The panellists include Dr Zhou Lihan (Co-Founder and CEO, MiRXES Pte Ltd), Dr Ronne Yeo (Co-Founder, Managing Director and CSO, Carcell Biopharma; Managing Director, EVX Ventures) and Mr Nilesh Wadhwa (Director, New Ventures & Transaction and Early Innovation Partner for Singapore, India and SEA, Johnson & Johnson). The participants had an insightful exchange with the industry leaders on their thoughts and experiences on leading and navigating through the biotech R&D and innovation space in Singapore and beyond.

LKCMedicine EArly Researcher Network (LEARN)and Graduate Student Club (GSC) hosted a joint Happy Hour event ‘Hallo LKC’ in lieu of Halloween at the Experimental Medicine Building (EMB) on Oct 28^th, 2022. It brought together over 50 attendees which includes guests from other schools (SBS, SPMS, SPC, MAE, NIE, SCBE and NISB), and some faculty members of LKCMedicine to relax and interact.  ‘Hallo LKC’ event featured many new activities:

1. ‘Researchers’ Interactome’ Whiteboard: A new feature introduced to the Happy Hour was ‘interactome white board’ - a way where researchers ask questions or share their problems, sparking novel ideas and may search collaborators. Do look out for more Interactomes in the future Happy Hours!
2. Board games: Many participants were seen playing these games and interacting with fellow researchers. We hope that the attendees thoroughly enjoyed themselves during the games!
3. Dress up for Halloween: Many people were seen wearing thematic dresses to celebrate Halloween. LEARN and GSC have come together to give a small token of appreciation to people wearing the best costumes:

   Best dressed prize winner: Prof Wang Yulan as Zombie apocalypse survivor

   Eye catcher prize winner: A group of three LKC young researchers, Bei Shi Lee, Carmen Pee and Ekaterina Sviriaeva, dressed as the Minions

4. Professional photography session for the current and potential LEARN (sub)committee members: We thank you for your interest and the recruitment is still a work in progress. Do keep looking out on social media and email notifications from LEARN for new happenings and updates.

   The next cozy Happy Hour which will be held on 25^th Nov 2022, 4.30 - 6.30 pm at CSB Level 20 Flexi Space, see you there!

LKCMedicine EArly Researcher Network (LEARN) held another Happy Hour on September 23^rd, this time at FlexiSpace at the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB). This cozy event brought together over 40 staff and students from LKCMedicine, including Asst Prof Kazuyuki Kasahara and colleagues from Experimental Medicine Building (EMB), to relax and interact over a drink and some snacks. In addition, the President and the Secretary from the NUSMed Postdoctoral Association (PDA) Committee have joined us to share their experience and discuss the postdoctoral career and future opportunities for collaboration between NUSMed PDA and LEARN. Please look out for our future events, including the next Happy Hour which will happen at EMB, level 3, on 28^th October. See you soon!

LKCMedicine EArly Researcher Network (LEARN) continued its tradition of Happy Hour at the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) on 22^nd July 2022. We thank Faculty members (Assoc. Prof. Tan Nguan Soon Andrew, Vice-Dean of Faculty Affairs, Nanyang Asst Prof Yasunori Saheki), and over 30 research colleagues and Ph.D. students from various departments of CSB (Family medicine, Medical Education, Skin Research Institute of Singapore (SRIS)) and EMB, for joining our cozy networking event. Your feedback and support is deeply appreciated to strengthen our research community!

Do look out for the next happy hour which will be held alternately between EMB and the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB). The next one is on 26 Aug 2022, 4.30 - 6.30 pm at EMB, level 03, see you there!

LKCMedicine EArly Researcher Network (LEARN) continued its tradition of Happy Hour at the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) on 22^nd July 2022. We thank Faculty members (Assoc. Prof. Tan Nguan Soon Andrew, Vice-Dean of Faculty Affairs, Nanyang Asst Prof Yasunori Saheki), and over 30 research colleagues and Ph.D. students from various departments of CSB (Family medicine, Medical Education, Skin Research Institute of Singapore (SRIS)) and EMB, for joining our cozy networking event. Your feedback and support is deeply appreciated to strengthen our research community!

Do look out for the next happy hour which will be held alternately between EMB and the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB). The next one is on 26 Aug 2022, 4.30 - 6.30 pm at EMB, level 03, see you there!

LKCMedicine EArly Researcher Network (LEARN) restarted the tradition of Happy Hour at the Experimental Medicine Building (EMB) on 24 June 2022. It brought together over 40 colleagues and guests from other schools (SBS, Research Techno Plaza, SPC, SCELSE, SCBE and NITSH) to relax and interact. The event also saw the attendance of Prof. Joseph Sung, LKCMedicine Dean, Prof. Lim Kah Leong, Vice-Dean (Research), Prof. Wang Yulan, Director of Singapore Phenome Centre, and Assoc. Prof. Luo Dahai who has been newly elected to the NTU 8^th Senate. We thank them for their strong commitment towards early career researchers’ affairs, engaging with us, and promoting the idea of socializing during informal gathering as the time when the best research ideas can emerge. This event, also served as an occasion to announce the 2nd LEARN Grant call. All research fellows are encouraged to submit their letter of intent by Jul 15 via the following Forms and refer to the “LEARN 2022 Grant Call” email for more details.

Do look out for the next cozy little happy hour which will be held alternately between EMB and the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB). The next one is on 22 Jul 2022, 4.30 - 6.30 pm at CSB Level 20, see you there!

On 29^th June 2021, LEARN organized the fourth Fireside Chat featuring Professor James Best, Professor of Medicine and former Dean of LKCMedicine. The session, entitled “The Best of Both Worlds”, was attended by over 70 LKCMedicine members, including early career scientists, PhD students, and faculty members. The conversation began with Prof. Best sharing his motivation to become a clinician. Prof. Best’s enthusiasm in endocrinology and diabetes research was greatly shaped by his mentors during his early career, including Professor Thomas John Martin, Professor Donald Chisholm, Professor Rosie Young and Professor Daniel Porte Jr. In 2014, he was fascinated by the unique concept of a medical school jointly set up by two prestigious universities from the Eastern and Western world and decided to lead the development of LKCMedicine as the Dean. His personal trick to cope with multiple professional commitments and avoid burnout at work is to be smart with time management so that of the various aspects of his career could progress steadily while keeping him engaged on all fronts. When being asked about how he wants to be remembered for, Prof. Best expressed his gratitude to be part of a leadership team that has laid a strong foundation in LKCMedicine, allowing it to scale to a greater height. During the lively Q&A session, Prof Best encouraged the young scientists to be proactive, stay focused and collaborate with each other to keep up with the ever-changing world. The event concluded with a wish from LEARN to Prof Best as he begins a new chapter in his life.

On 30 November 2020, LEARN organized the first post-launch event to introduce LEARN’s 2021 activity plans and gather useful feedbacks from the early career researchers at LKCMedicine. A total of 39 participants, including faculty members, research staffs, and graduate students, attended the webinar. There was great enthusiasm on the LEARN grant call, attracting many questions regarding judging criteria and mechanism, grant usage, and collaborative investigation. LEARN’s mentor, Assoc/Prof. Kevin Pethe emphasised that LEARN grant is designed for research fellows to prepare for their next career stage by sharpening their grant writing skills and administration. Additionally, Soon Keong, an Exco member of the LKCMedicine Graduate Student Club, welcomed further collaboration between the two clubs in future events. Prof. Lim Kah Leong, Vice Dean of Research, reiterated that LEARN has the full support of the core leadership of the school and encouraged all LEARN members to actively foster a mutually beneficial relationship among early career researchers.

We proudly announce the official launch of LKCMedicine EArly Researcher Network (LEARN) on the 28th of October 2020. “The LKCMedicine EArly Researcher Network, LEARN, is a newly formed club for, and run by, the research fellows at LKCMedicine. The goal of LEARN is to create an interactive community among the early career researchers through social and scientific events, professional development workshops and collaborations with other schools of NTU,” said Prof James Best during the LKCMedicine 10th Anniversary Ceremony. As a new initiative by the Office of Research and the Post-doc community, we hope that LEARN can offer our members a more enjoyable and fruitful time at LKCMedicine.