Master's degree student, Wan-Ting Liao, was excited to finish up her internship for her degree earlier this fall semester. She secured a position with the School of Medicine in Pediatric Infectious Disease at UNC, working with a research team led by Associate Professor, Dr. Xiaojing Zheng. Her internship focused on processing genomic data, specifically tuberculosis data and required her to use her skills and knowledge of data retrieval, literature reviews, and cleaning data. Though she was very excited to delve into the world of genomics, she also encountered significant challenges that she worked diligently to overcome. Liao commented, "It was a thrilling experience to work with large-scale genomic datasets, something I hadn't encountered before, and to apply my biology background to a new and challenging domain. The most significant challenge I faced was the steep learning curve associated with genomic data processing, as it required me to acquire a new skill set and to adapt to the unique data formats and specialized R packages." Despite the challenges, Liao noted that the internship expanded her professional horizons and gave her the skills and experience to tackle complex research projects with confidence in the future. Her mentor, Professor Zheng noted that her performance and attention to detail was exceptional during the course of the internship. She truly became a valued member of the research team.
After graduation, Liao plans to find a role in data analysis or data science within healthcare, biotech, or pharmaceutical companies. "I aspire to contribute my skills and expertise to drive advancements in these critical fields. I am keen to explore applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence in healthcare, collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to bridge the gap between data analysis and domain-specific knowledge, and continuously expand my knowledge and expertise in this rapidly evolving field," said Liao. She aims to have a meaningful impact on medical research, patient care, and the development of life-saving treatments.
