Yale-NUS College

Anjali Kannangath

Class of 2020

I’m Anjali, from the class of 2020, and I’m majoring in Life Sciences and minoring in Psychology. I’m especially interested in exploring the biological mechanisms that underlie complex, higher-level mental phenomenon. I also care about integrating science into everyday conversations, and ensuring that scientific information is accessible to everyone within the Yale-NUS community and beyond, and have been working towards this goal through our student-run interdisciplinary scientific publication, The Cosmoscience.
Fangchen Zhu

Class of 2019

I am a senior majoring in Life Sciences and minoring in Psychology. My academic interest is in neurobiology especially in understanding the neural mechanisms for memory formation and retrieval. In my spare time, I play basketball, watch indie films and pretend to be a keyboardist in a band.
Gigi Lee

Class of 2020

I am Gigi, a junior from the class of 2020. I enjoy playing volleyball and taking photos of my dog in my spare time. Since high school, I’ve been aiding equine assisted therapy, which allows me to combine my passions for animals and helping people. I hope to one day learn how to do a handstand.
Grace Kwak

Class of 2020

I am a Life Sciences major and Psychology minor intending to pursue a graduate degree in medicine (MD). I am also currently involved in the Yale-NUS Chamber Music Collective (I play piano and flute), badminton team, and Christian fellowship at Yale-NUS College.
Isaac Lee

Class of 2019

Isaac is a senior majoring in Life Science at Yale-NUS College.
Isabel Sung

Class of 2020

Isabel is a junior majoring in Life Sciences at Yale-NUS College.
Nod Bunnag

Class of 2019

Hi I’m Nod and I like wondering about the human body and how it works. Sometimes I try and explore the things I wonder about in the lab, if not I’ll most likely indulge myself in football/soccer, music, and occasionally video games.
Odelia Teo

Class of 2020

I’m Odelia Teo of Class 2020. In my free time, I like to destress by doing Muay Thai and petting animals of all kinds (even fish and snails). I have a terrible weakness for bubble tea and French fries.
Wen Kin Lim

Class of 2020

My name is Wen and I chose to come to Yale-NUS College because of its holistic education which involves perspectives and problem-solving from both the sciences and humanities. I hope to take an interdisciplinary approach with the Life Sciences and apply my scientific learning and ability to find evidence in a rigorous and disciplined manner to practical issues in the wider healthcare field.

Anjali Kannangath
About
I’m Anjali, from the class of 2020, and I’m majoring in Life Sciences and minoring in Psychology. I’m especially interested in exploring the biological mechanisms that underlie complex, higher-level mental phenomenon. I also care about integrating science into everyday conversations, and ensuring that scientific information is accessible to everyone within the Yale-NUS community and beyond, and have been working towards this goal through our student-run interdisciplinary scientific publication, The Cosmoscience.

Why did you decide to major in Life Sciences?
While I am exploring the various molecular mechanisms that underlie life processes, I always find myself in a situation with more questions than I began with and this really motivated me to delve deeper into this field. But perhaps the real reason I find myself being drawn to this field is that, despite finding deeper explanations to various questions, I still find myself being taken aback by just how amazingly coordinated and capable different molecular processes/pathways are in creating and sustaining life. I am also especially drawn to adopting a hands-on approach by using the tools at my disposal to design and conduct experiments. Having weighed in my interest in the subject matter and preferred method, Life Sciences felt like a natural choice.

Why study Life Sciences in Yale-NUS College?
I firmly believe that the essence of doing science is very much in line with critical thinking abilities that Yale-NUS hopes to promote. Science helps us cultivate a spirit of empirical inquiry which can then then be used to answer questions in any discipline. While I have been challenged to immerse myself in novel and exciting fields both through the common curriculum and other electives, these courses have taught me to identify connections across disciplines, to question long-held assumptions about myself and the world, and to reason in a more rigorous manner.

Furthermore, Yale-NUS’ undergraduate-focused research opportunities, seminar-style classes and tight-knit scientific community offers me unparalleled support and guidance. The flexibility to shape my own courses through independent studies has also been an especially exciting avenue that has allowed me to pursue my interests.
Fangchen Zhu
About
I am a senior majoring in Life Sciences and minoring in Psychology. My academic interest is in neurobiology especially in understanding the neural mechanisms for memory formation and retrieval. In my spare time, I play basketball, watch indie films and pretend to be a keyboardist in a band.

Why did you decide to major in Life Sciences?
I have always been interested in understanding the human brain and strongly believe that best way to do so is through biological means. To decode the genes at work when we are processing information from our senses and encoding them as memory will help us develop tools to manipulate the mechanisms and help those suffering from neurological diseases. I am keen to develop the skills as a Life Sciences major to go on to grad school and do research in this area.

Why study Life Sciences in Yale-NUS College?
Yale-NUS Life Sciences major provided me with a broad foundation to build my interest in neurobiology on. The Foundations of Advance Biology courses exposed me to a variety of fields within both macro- (evolution, animal behavior) and micro-biology (genetics, biophysics) which taught me to consider fundamental questions of life from different perspectives and come up with interesting hypotheses. The small tight-knit life sciences community and super approachable faculty also meant there were a lot of opportunities to discuss science with very knowledgeable people and that was how I first got into research in Yale-NUS.

What advantages do you think Life Sciences majors have after graduation?
I believe Yale-NUS Life Sciences major will graduate with a good grasp of the fundamentals of biology and exposure to biology in both the macro- and micro- scale. Yale-NUS also offers tons of opportunity to conduct lab and field research and all the science students will have at least 1-2 years of experience working on their own project, which is a highly sought after skill by grad schools and industry alike.
Gigi Lee
About
I am Gigi, a junior from the class of 2020. I enjoy playing volleyball and taking photos of my dog in my spare time. Since high school, I’ve been aiding equine assisted therapy, which allows me to combine my passions for animals and helping people. I hope to one day learn how to do a handstand.

Why did you decide to major in Life Sciences?
Having been intrigued by the mechanisms and components of life from a young age, I believe that studying Life Sciences in Yale-NUS is a fantastic gateway for me to explore such intellectual curiosities. I find myself particularly drawn to experimental laboratory work, where I can see and test theories that I’ve learned in class actualize first-hand. Yale-NUS’s tightly knit science community has provided me with not only a reliable support system, but also a rich resource pool where the learning never ceases.
Grace Kwak
About
I am a Life Sciences major and Psychology minor intending to pursue a graduate degree in medicine (MD). I am also currently involved in the Yale-NUS Chamber Music Collective (I play piano and flute), badminton team, and Christian fellowship at Yale-NUS College.

Why did you decide to major in Life Sciences?
I have always had a passion and fascination for the human body and health. Through the diversity of courses and research opportunities offered at Yale-NUS College, I have been able to develop my interests in the medical, public health, and mental health sector. Starting from my freshman year, I began working with Professor Gruber on ageing at his biology lab at NUS; during my sophomore year, I worked with Professor Asplund on exploring human being’s cognitive abilities and their severe limitations (which holds clinical significance in understanding people with Autism Spectrum Disorder); from a public health course I took during sophomore year, I have had the chance to work on publishing a paper with Professor Ickovics. The liberal arts education at Yale-NUS College has allowed me discover and fuse my interests in all three sectors relating to human health – something that may not have been possible anywhere else.
Isaac Lee
About
Isaac is a senior majoring in Life Science at Yale-NUS College.

Why did you decide to major in Life Sciences?
Among the beautiful forms of matter, life could be the only one that questions its existence. I study the life sciences to understand the results of an experiment which occurred at least 4.6 billion years ago.

Why study Life Sciences in Yale-NUS College?
At Yale-NUS, the courses are taught in a smaller seminar-style to make the material more engaging. There are also research opportunities available. Professors are eager to take on new research assistants for wet lab and field research projects. Students are empowered to utilise these resources to have a well-rounded education in the Life Sciences.
Isabel Sung
About
Isabel is a junior majoring in Life Sciences at Yale-NUS College.

Why did you decide to major in Life Sciences?
Growing up, I always thought that I would pursue music as my lifelong career. However, after being exposed to amazing courses in biology before entering college and discovering my passion in the medical field, I decided to instead dedicate my studies to life sciences.

Why study Life Sciences in Yale-NUS College?
Life Sciences in Yale-NUS equip students well in understanding the mechanisms and foundations that determine the complexities of life. The insightful courses, abundance of research opportunities, and the richness of discussions here have strengthened my critical thinking skills and creativity. The skills cultivated through course-work and hands-on research have also developed my abilities to formulate ways to answer interesting questions. In addition, as a liberal arts college, Yale-NUS provides many opportunities for me to study disciplines outside of science. Throughout the process, I have been able to discover interesting intersections between life sciences and other disciplines.
Nod Bunnag
About
Hi I’m Nod and I like wondering about the human body and how it works. Sometimes I try and explore the things I wonder about in the lab, if not I’ll most likely indulge myself in football/soccer, music, and occasionally video games.

Why did you decide to major in Life Sciences?
When I watched ‘Ozzy & Drix’ as a child I started envisioning our cells as little cartoon characters and have been unable to dissociate myself from those thoughts ever since. A more up-to-date anthropomorphization of the human body in the form of a cartoon would be ‘Cells at Work!’ – but both shows are good and you should definitely watch it to get a glimpse of how cool the human body is.
Odelia Teo
About
I’m Odelia Teo of Class 2020. In my free time, I like to destress by doing Muay Thai and petting animals of all kinds (even fish and snails). I have a terrible weakness for bubble tea and French fries.

Why did you decide to major in Life Sciences?
I have always had an interest in the complexities of life and found that the ways in which different biological pathways and mechanisms work in synergy are truly fascinating. Being surrounded by such scientific inspiration in Yale-NUS has made it very easy for me to determine that majoring in Life Sciences is the right choice for me. Yale-NUS’s holistic curriculum has enabled me the freedom to build a strong foundation in the sciences while also pursuing my passion for public health. I am certain that this major will allow me to hone in on exemplary critical thinking skills that will enable me to help the people around me in a meaningful way.
Wen Kin Lim
About
My name is Wen and I chose to come to Yale-NUS College because of its holistic education which involves perspectives and problem-solving from both the sciences and humanities. I hope to take an interdisciplinary approach with the Life Sciences and apply my scientific learning and ability to find evidence in a rigorous and disciplined manner to practical issues in the wider healthcare field.

Why study Life Sciences in Yale-NUS College?
I decided to major in Life Sciences because of my fascination with understanding how living systems work, whether it be at the level of an individual cell or an entire body where there is a multitude of processes and systems that allow us to see, breathe, and survive. I see the Life Sciences as an exceptional application of research and other scientific disciplines to improve our approach to disease and health in the world.

The leading professors at Yale-NUS College provide close guidance and mentorship which ensure that our students have a strong foundation of knowledge for whatever they pursue. The small class sizes mean that students have engaging interactions with world-class minds and hands-on access to research which is hard to come by in larger universities.

In the future, I’m interested in how the Life Sciences can be applied through the vehicle of business and policy and I deeply appreciate the emphasis on interdisciplinary learning at Yale-NUS because I am interested in the intersection of life sciences, business, and health systems. My goal is to overlay scientific knowledge with business skills to solve pressing problems in the world such as aging populations, prevalence of major diseases, and significant deficiencies in healthcare systems.

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Yale NUS College

Life Sciences

Our Students

Anjali Kannangath

Class of 2020

Fangchen Zhu

Class of 2019

Gigi Lee

Class of 2020

Grace Kwak

Class of 2020

Isaac Lee

Class of 2019

Isabel Sung

Class of 2020

Nod Bunnag

Class of 2019

Odelia Teo

Class of 2020

Wen Kin Lim

Class of 2020

Anjali Kannangath

Fangchen Zhu

Gigi Lee

Grace Kwak

Isaac Lee

Isabel Sung

Nod Bunnag

Odelia Teo

Wen Kin Lim

Our People

Yale NUS College