Welcome to Oxford, Sing-Ming !
Sing-Ming Chan has joined the University of Oxford in October 2020. As an Early Stage Researcher of the ArtMoMa network, Sing-Ming will dedicate 3 years to the actuation across length scales using DNA nanostructures, while participating in international training and network events. Read his following introduction to learn more about him:
Tell us more about your background!
I was born in Hong Kong, a beautiful and small city, on the 22nd of November 1994. I started my research career in 2014 as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow. I synthesized several chiral catalysts for asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions. After that, I continued my research in my final year project and expanded into the field of achemical sensor.
After completing my B.S.c. degree in Chemistry from Hong Kong Baptist University in 2016, I started working in Dr. Ken Leung’s group as a PhD student from 2017, focusing on rotaxane synthesis. After I finished the laboratory work and submitted my thesis, I started my journey on condensed matter physics at the University of Oxford from October 2020.
Why did you want to be a part of ArtMoMa?
I studied chemistry because It is fascinating to observe how molecules/nanomaterials react with a changing environment. Also, I worked in rotaxane which is related to molecular machine and ArtMoMa offered an opportunity on the interdisciplinary study between the DNA nanotechnology and organic chemistry. I felt excited about combining my knowledge with a topic I never explored. Moreover, the ArtMoMa network provides me with an environment to interact with experts in the field. Therefore, I am glad to become a part of ArtMoMa.
What are your expectations of living and working in your host city?
I have lived in Hong Kong since I was born. Since I never visit Oxford before, I expect a completely different culture on living in there. But from the word by others, I do expect Oxford is a liberal city. “Magna Carta”, one of the most important documents in history, is signed in the UK. It established the concept of Rule of Law, which later contribute to the presumption in favor of liberty. I am looking forward to experiencing this when living in the UK.
What do you think will be your main challenge for you in the next three years?
I am not a native speaker in English so it will be a great challenge for me to live in Oxford, adapting a different culture compared to Hong Kong. Another challenge is to learn physics as a new subject since I mainly focused my study on chemistry, but I think it is also an opportunity to integrate these fields into interdisciplinary research.
