Vikas Malik

I have been making stem cells from mouse skin in lab (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China) during my PhD. I tried to answer very basic but extremely important question, why only some transcription factors can do this job while others can’t (mainly Oct4 vs Oct6). I used genomic techniques like ChIP-seq, RNA-seq, ATAC-seq and spiced it up with bioinformatics analysis to nail down molecular details of how these transcription factors read the grammar of genome and execute the transcriptional program.

In my Post-Doc, I switched to human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and try to be closer to translational research. I have been working on multiple projects where I study the underlying mechanism of intrinsic immunity of hESCs against viral infections. My other project is focused to understand how sleep restriction would affect regeneration potential of hESCs.

I have a keen interest in bringing science to lay people. I have actively participated in yearly science communication programs like Science Slam Competition, Researchers Night etc. organized by EURAXESS, China. With CUPS, I plan to grow that interest further by participating in these events more frequently.