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(He/Him)
🎙 Tell us about yourself?
I am a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Cosima Porteus lab of the Department of Biological Sciences at UTSC. I received my BSc from Pukyong National University in Korea where I studied about how artificial environments in a recirculating aquaculture system could influence metabolism and growth in fish under the supervision of Dr. Jae-yoon Jo and In-bae Kim. Then, I traveled to Canada to continue my research at the University of Manitoba with a focus on the environmental physiology of Lake sturgeon, which is a federally endangered species in Canada. Under the supervision of Dr. Gary Anderson, I studied how temperature and diet during early life could shape the variation and plasticity of physiological traits involved in energy and fatty acid metabolism and their roles in overwintering survival. I have been an active participant in my community serving locally as the Vice President in the Manitoba Chapter of the Association of Korean-Canadian Scientists and Engineers.
🎙 What are your research interests & what are you currently researching?
I am interested in understanding how the environment could influence fundamental physiological mechanisms that drive the variation and plasticity of biological traits. The environment where we live is now facing unprecedented changes with ever-increasing anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and the oceans are absorbing a quarter of the CO2 in our atmosphere and becoming more acidic, a phenomenon known as ocean acidification. Recent studies have shown that ocean acidification could impair locomotion in marine fish, which may significantly affect routine activity and survival. In Dr. Porteus's Lab, I am investigating the mechanism involved in impaired locomotion in fish using marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) as a model organism. My research employs a variety of physiological and molecular techniques to better understand the mechanism that may drive impaired locomotion in fish such as behavioral assay, respirometry, enzyme assay, and olfactory physiology.
🎙 What is the significance of your current research?
With a holistic approach from behavior, aerobic metabolism (whole-body), and muscle physiology (cellular) to olfactory physiology (molecular), my research will provide significant insight into how anthropogenic ocean acidification may affect locomotion in marine medaka. Data will advance our basic knowledge on environmental physiology in fish, which has direct applications for understanding the biological impact that predicted climate change scenarios will have on marine fish in the future.
🎙 What aspirations do you have for your research? How do you see it being utilized?
My long-term career goal is to understand the life history and evolution of fish species in the era of the Anthropocene. At CERA, I will develop a professional foundation for my career by achieving my short-term goals of answering research questions and acquiring new research techniques that are pertinent to understanding how fish perceive their environment.
🎙 Anything else you would like to highlight/share?
I enjoy sharing my struggles and lessons that I learned during my graduate degrees with fellow students. Feel free to reach me if you would like some tips for studying or navigating life in general!