Ji Qu

I completed my Bachelor of Biomedicine degree at The University of Melbourne, where I majored in Neuroscience. During my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to undertake my final year research project in the Wilkinson-Berka laboratory, focusing on the field of retinal vascular biology and inflammation. Following my undergraduate degree, I pursued a Master's degree in Clinical Neuroscience at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. During this time, I conducted research with the James Sleigh's Group, where I worked on the Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease using the GARS1 and YARS1 mouse models. I joined DPAG in 2023, my DPhil research is primarily focused on using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to generate sympathetic neurons and investigate their neuronal activation and responses to various stimuli. Specifically, I am aiming to gain a deeper understanding of how sympathetic neuron biology and activation are altered in the context of obesity, with a particular interest in exploring the mechanisms of obesity-induced sympathetic neuropathy. My DPhil research is jointly supervised by Prof. Ana Domingos and Dr Mootaz Salman.