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We are an interdisciplinary research team from the Division of Life Science (LIFS), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). We work on problems at the crossroads of quantitative systems biology, microbiology, synthetic biology, and bioengineering. The general focus of our lab is to understand how bacterial gene circuits encode, generate and process complex temporal signals to drive advanced cellular functions, such as phenotypic memory, noise filtering, bet-hedging, and adaptation.

We combine experimental and computational approaches to study both naturally occurring and engineered gene circuits, seeking to develop a quantitative understanding of their dynamical properties and functional significance. We believe such efforts will shed light on the general design principles of biological systems, and also reveal novel time-based strategies that bacteria employ to navigate the ever-changing natural environment. Beyond the conceptual significance, these fundamental insights carry broad practical implications, from tackling the emergence of antibiotic tolerance to guiding the design of better synthetic gene circuits.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Division of Life Science (LIFS)