Meet Jinsen Lu

What year are you in and what is your PhD on? 

I am a third year full-time DPhil student. My DPhil project is on ageing, screening the potential anti-ageing compounds and exploring how they work to slow down ageing.

What is your day-to-day like? What does your research involve? 

My supervisor gave me the space to arrange my own time by myself so my schedule is quite flexible. My daily routine is labwork-oriented and there is no difference between weekdays and weekends. We have a lab meeting every Tuesday and I will discuss the progress and the problems with my supervisor anytime we like. After the lab work, I usually go to the gym or university sports centre to finish my regular athletic training for the high jump and pole vault.

My research involves the high throughput screening on cellular effects of multiple bisphosphonates and utilizing the multi-omics data, advanced microscopy and animal model to elucidate their anti-ageing potential and mechanisms. 

What is your background? And what brought you to a DPhil at NDORMS?

I joined the medical university, completed the eight-year clinical medicine programme in China, and completed a three-year trauma and orthopaedics residency training programme before coming to Oxford. To improve my academic competence and conduct state-of-the-art studies in a musculoskeletal science-centred research institute, I decide to go to NDORMS, Oxford. 

What is it like to be a DPhil student at NDORMS? 

NDORMS provided the platform to embrace researchers with diverse backgrounds and majors. To seek help for enhancing multidisciplinary collaboration, I often meet and talk with people working in clinical medicine, cell biology, bioengineering, genomics, epidemiology, and other areas beyond my expertise. The department runs regular courses, lectures and symposiums

to keep the DPhil student up to date on the fresh science. Besides, NDORMS also provides us with a delicate coffee machine, nice kitchen, hospital restaurants, pilates classes and regular retreats to support our life and mental health. 

What is it like to be a DPhil student at Oxford? 

Although I spend most of time in NDORMS for my research project, the university does provide fantastic platforms for developing hobbies and social relations. The college system provides unique experience for my DPhil life in Oxford. I often invite other oxford students to visit my college and exchange formal dinners with them to build friendships. College also provides cost-effective food and accessible lecture halls to hold academic activities. Since my college recruits students with diverse majors and backgrounds, I am happy to meet and talk with people in non-medical areas and they open my mind a lot.

The University provide a lot of sports teams for people to join, and I joined the Oxford athletic team and have a regular training sessions for pole vault and high jump. I really like my teammates and enjoyed the varsity match against Cambridge.