Dr. Liu Ziran obtained his Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Sciences from the School of Biomedical Sciences (SBS), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in 2018. Under the supervision of Prof. Zhao Hui, he received systematic scientific research training with focus on regulatory function of ZSWIM4 gene in the process of embryonic development.

After graduation from the School, he returned to his hometown Qingdao and worked at the Qingdao Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. His work focused on the study of respiratory viruses in children. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, his focus shifted to epidemic prevention and control. In 2020, he completed the first severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive specimen test in Shandong Province, China. Benefited from his study at SBS, he established the whole genome sequencing platform for SARS-CoV-2 in Qingdao. Qingdao became the first city in Shandong province with SARS-CoV-2 sequencing and analysis capability.

From his study in SBS, Dr. Liu believes that he had not only gained valuable professional knowledge, but also strengthened his rigorous working attitude, which helped him to build up confidence in overcoming all kinds of challenges in his work. His experience as the Vice President of the SBS Postgraduate Student Association also enhanced his communication skills and teamwork ability. In the future, he will continue to contribute to the public health aspect with the spirit of CUHK.

Dr. Liu Ziran (1st from right)