“I still remember the first time I met my promotor, Alfred Schinkel, when he came to pick me up at Schiphol airport after a long flight from South East China. 'Professor Schinkel,' I said, to which he immediately responded: ‘No need, Alfred is fine’. I had not expected that. It took me over a year to get used to cultural differences like this direct communication style. I do think that this way of communicating with my colleagues and academic supervisors ended up being quite helpful during my research. I focused on the functions of different enzymes in the lab as well as in mouse models. These enzymes play important roles in the way drugs are transported and metabolized, and can dramatically affect processes like drug absorption and metabolism. This type of research is important to better understand the way certain drugs can affect these processes in our bodies. After my PhD, I will go back to China to continue my work as a clinical pharmacologist in a company in Shanghai."
Yaogeng will defend his thesis on July 12.