Photo: Bryan Goodchild
PhD student Hoang Tran remembers logging random biology facts in a notebook as a child growing up in Hanoi, Vietnam. Now he’s fulfilling his dream of becoming a scientist through a new UMass Chan Medical School program. Tran joined the first cohort of the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences’ Biophysical, Chemical and Computational Biology Pathway after searching for programs that marry his love of math and science.
“I have always loved reading about science and mechanisms,” said Tran, who moved to the U.S. six years ago to study applied mathematics and computational biology at Colby College. “As a kid, I was good at math and would do a bunch of Olympiads.”
Tran credits his math and science prowess to his alma mater, Hanoi-Amsterdam High School, where students compete for admission and need top scores to get in. Before accepting his offer to attend UMass Chan, he got a positive recommendation from Trang Ho, a former Hanoi-Amsterdam classmate who studies in the lab of Josué Flores Kim, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry & molecular biotechnology.
The Biophysical, Chemical and Computational Biology Pathway is one of three pathways to earning a PhD in biomedical sciences at UMass Chan. The program is designed for students like Tran with quantitative backgrounds. Experience in biological sciences is not a requirement for admission.
“I love the classes and I’m hungry for learning, so I try to maximize my time here,” said Tran, who worked at Massachusetts General Hospital as a research technician for two years before becoming a PhD student. “My professors have taught me to be careful with my research, be critical about assumptions, and to do things slowly and progressively. I think very fast, so that advice was helpful.”
Tran is interested in studying specific genomic regions called transposable elements.
“The role of transposable elements in the genome is still a mystery to us, but we do know that some of them are opportunistic parasites that underlie various human diseases,” Tran said. “At the same time, they are also co-opted and adapted by the human genome for well-known biological functions.”
Ever-curious, Tran is teaching himself how to play jazz. He purchased a few saxophones and is trying to learn the art of improvisation.
“Improvisation is something I wanted to teach myself. I don’t have to do it correctly and it’s a more relaxed way to play,” said Tran. “Being chaotic is not good, but chaos in a structured way is great.”
Tran’s ultimate goal is to run his own lab someday.
The Student Spotlight series features UMass Chan Medical School students in the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing and T.H. Chan School of Medicine. For more information about UMass Chan Medical School and how to apply, visit the Prospective Students page.
