Xue Wu is a PhD candidate and Graduated Assistant in Dr. Zhoumeng Lin’s lab at the University of Florida. She got her bachelor’s degree in her home country of China at the Huazhong Agricultural University in 2022. Her scientific curiosity was sparked by reading novels about researchers using cutting-edge technology, which ultimately led her to a career in pharmacokinetics and public health.
During her undergraduate studies, Xue developed a strong foundation in veterinary medicine, focusing on toxicology and pharmacology. She completed multiple internships in veterinary hospitals and conducted research on zoonotic diseases, such as Tuberculosis. Another thing she studied during Undergrad was pharmacology. Her study covered pharmacokinetics, which examines how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and excretes drugs, as well as pharmacodynamics, which studies the physiological and molecular effects of drugs on the body. When she was a research assistant at Huazhong Agricultural University one of her projects was the Preparation and application of monoclonal antibody against Bovine Norovirus. Another project she worked while there was the Establishment of epidemiological cut-off and determination of drug resistance of Haemophilus parasuis. These experiences reinforced her interest in drug safety and residue analysis, leading her to pursue further research in the field.
Although she looked around the world for PhD programs, she decided to study at the University of Florida. Her decision to undertake her PhD program at UF is largely because of the opportunity to study under Dr. Lin’s guidance. One project that Dr. Lin was working on was a project funded by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). The project is Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD). FARAD is a university-based national program that serves as the primary source for scientifically-based recommendations regarding safe withdrawal intervals of drugs and chemicals in food-producing animals using Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models. These models can help us understand how much drug residue is left in animals and whether they are safe for human consumption. Xue explained that the limits of these residues are determined by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) in USA and the EMA (European Medicines Agency) in Europe. Ms. Wu’s PhD will be in Public Health with a concentration on Environmental health. The main reason she chose this track was due to Dr. Lin’s influence. Her focus is “Integrating Experimental, Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling and Machine Learning Approaches to Evaluate Pharmacokinetics and Drug Residue Depletion in Animals”.
When speaking about her lab Xue, explained how everyone comes from different backgrounds. Some people focus on toxicology or food safety. While others focus on pharmacy or environmental engineering. They all have similar goals. The goal is to use the PBPK modeling to address nanomedicine, animal-derived food safety, human health risk assessment issues. They want to be able to provide risk assessments using AI tech combined with traditional computing modeling that enhances their predictive abilities.
One of the biggest challenges Xue has faced in her PhD program as an international student is the language barrier. Her native language is Mandarin Chinese. Her undergraduate studies were conducted in her native language, so many scientific words are hard to translate out of her native tongue. Failure is another challenge familiar to all researchers, but Xue emphasizes the importance of resilience and learning from setbacks. Scientific experiments often do not work on the first attempt, requiring multiple iterations to refine methods and achieve meaningful results. Ms. Wu spoke on the importance of asking questions. She states there are no dumb questions, just things you don’t know yet. When asking questions, you gain experience, which is valuable for work in scientific fields.
After graduation Xue wants to work for a pharmaceutical company in the Research and Development department. She wants to conduct pre-clinical trials and drug safety evaluations using PBPK modeling and AI-QSAR modeling. She is particularly interested in advancing AI-driven modeling techniques to improve drug residue predictions and regulatory decision-making.
Xue Wu is a PhD candidate and Graduate Assistant in Dr. Zhoumeng Lin’s lab at the University of Florida, studying Public Health with a focus on Environmental Health. Originally from China, she earned a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine from Huazhong Agricultural University in 2022. Xue’s research explores drug residues in animals, inspired by Dr. Lin’s USDA-funded project FARAD, which uses PBPK models. She enjoys working in a diverse lab team that uses AI and PBK modeling to study chemicals’ effects on humans and animals. Overcoming challenges like language barriers and experimental setbacks, Xue values persistence and asking questions. After graduating, she hopes to work in pharmaceutical R&D, focusing on clinical trials with PBPK modeling.
