Kevin Ng

Kevin Ng is a fifth-year Biomedical Sciences PhD student at The Francis Crick Institute, London, in the group of Dr. George Kassiotis, where he studies how human retroelements affect the splicing of immune genes. Kevin’s passion for exploring the relevant functions of non-coding RNAs such as miRNAs, piRNAs, and lncRNAs has followed him from his undergraduate research, where he has excelled at working in different and diverse lab groups. When asked what drew him to the Kassiotis Lab, Kevin explains that he “wanted to continue studying the non-coding genome but also to expand my scientific and technical skills, and George’s lab has taken some very creative approaches to study retroelements.” In addition to the mentorship provided by Dr. Kassiotis, Kevin also attributes his productivity in the lab to his supportive lab mates and thesis committee, who work in diverse fields ranging from neurodegeneration to embryonic development. Starting from studying microRNAs in cancer during his undergrad to studying the effects that non-coding RNAs play in regulating the immune response for his PhD, Kevin is excited to continue uncovering the functions of non-coding RNA.

His thesis, titled Diversification of gene function by endogenous retroelements, focuses on how retroelements can alter splicing and expression of genes, including generating novel mouse models that more closely resemble their human counterparts. Perhaps the best example of Kevin’s current research can be found in Nature Genetics where they looked at retroelement effects on ACE2 expression and thus its effects on susceptibility to SARS-COV-2.  “I’ve spent most of my PhD studying the contribution of retroelements to splicing of immune genes, and while we’ve been able to do lots of the molecular work in human cell lines, it can be challenging to show relevance to physiology or disease, particularly when it involves immunology, using in vitro systems”.

Kevin derives inspiration for moving his challenging project forward from Dr. Barbara McClintock, one of the founding scientists involved in retroelement research. “It’s so interesting reading her papers from the 1950s – I’m always impressed by her clarity of thought and how many of the hypotheses she came up with are still things we continue to discuss, debate, and test seventy years later.” In addition, Kevin also finds Dr. Keizo Tomonaga’s work “mind-blowing”, specifically one of his papers which he remembers reading as an undergraduate in which Dr. Tomonaga proposed that piRNAs act as a form of transgenerational immunity.

Kevin moved to the UK from British Columbia to pursue his PhD in 2017. When asked what his experience has been at The Crick, he said that he’s “really enjoyed the cultural diversity of the institute. It’s a lot of fun getting to meet people from all around the world, and (at least pre-pandemic) it was so easy to travel around the continent during the weekends. I think that this mobility and diversity is not only fun but contributes to productivity and creativity as well.”. Kevin’s advice to upcoming Ph.D. students is to go to talks outside of their respective fields and to draw ideas from them. In his opinion being an interdisciplinary scientist “ultimately pays off” and enables your creativity to grow as well as makes you a well-rounded scientist.

“I think that creativity can be an underappreciated skill in research and training yourself to think laterally is very helpful.”- Kevin on advice to new PhD students

Outside of the lab, Kevin is a committed advocate for diversity and inclusion. When asked what his opinion is on the current state of academia, he said that he has been fortunate to have many supportive and caring mentors. Nonetheless, Kevin is aware of systemic barriers based on race, gender, sexuality, and religion that exist in academia. “I’m very passionate about dismantling these barriers across all levels of academia. [This ranges] from advocating for paid undergraduate lab placements to ensuring that the upper management and advisory boards of our departments and institutes represent our communities.”

Kevin finds the crossroads between non-coding RNAs and immunity fascinating and exciting. You can follow Kevin Ng @KevinWNg on Twitter.