Faculty of Science E-newsletter

Dr. Nick So, Cell and Molecular Biology (CMBI) graduate, has been awarded by the Max Planck Society (MPS) the Otto Hahn Medal and Otto Hahn Award as one of the leading young researchers at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) recently in recognition of his outstanding achievements during his Ph.D. research.

Dr. So’s journey to scientific research began with his first two lab experience at CUHK during his high school time, he then chose to study CMBI and continued to gain experience and learn research skills in the faculty. He exposed himself to many different fields in life sciences, both locally and abroad. He received guidance from Professor Faye Tsang of School of Life Sciences to lead a research project on the molecular and cellular mechanisms linking diabetes and breast cancer, and collaborated with labmates on studying breast cancer and embryonic stem cells. During his undergraduate study, he also conducted research on cancer biology in Shanghai, mRNA biology in Taiwan, small RNA biology in Singapore, and proteomics and virology in United Kingdom.

Supported by the Croucher Foundation after his bachelor study, he joined the Department of Meiosis at MPI for Biophysical Chemistry to follow Dr. Melina Schuh, the 2018 recipient of European Molecular Biology Organisation Gold Medal, to develop new tools for different stages of female germline development. And after receiving his doctorate, he continued as Max Planck Croucher Postdoctoral Fellow because the accessibility of experts in other fields at the MPIs facilitates his research on meiosis and its complex machinery.

Awarded the prestigious Otto Hahn Medal and Otto Hahn Award for his ground-breaking discoveries on the mechanism and machinery underlying chromosome segregation during mammalian egg cell development, he will startup his own individual research group for five years.

The Award is unexpected to him as he never thought of being selected as one of the three best researchers. He is grateful for the recognition, and thanks the Croucher Foundation, the MPS, and MPI for supporting him to plan his long-term research career in Germany. He hopes that his research which contributes to miscarriages and genetic disorders such as Down Syndrome could be translated in the in vitro fertilisation (IRV) clinics to help women with infertility issues in the future.

Press Release from Max-Planck-Gesellschaf