 I'm Nina, and I'm from China. I'm currently doing a PhD degree in biomedical science. I specialize in nutrition in the chronology and reproduction, which fits really nicely with the general research theme that goes on at the Ligans. Ligans has an excellent nutritional team led by Professor David Cameron Smith. After talking to him and seeing Ligans, I thought that he will be really good to work with, and I think Ligans will provide the support I need. My PhD focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanism of how skeletal muscle responds to nutritional stimuli. After exercising, people might take a protein shake. That's because both exercise and nutrients stimulate muscle growth. Understanding how nutrients regulate muscle growth, we can design therapeutic targets for a personalized nutritional diet to increase or preserve muscle mass. Before I joined the Ligans, I was doing my undergraduate degree at the University of Auckland. The University of Auckland is a New Zealand world-ranked university, so if I go back to China, my relatives and friends will know that I'm studying from a prestigious university. I really enjoy the fact that Ligans is a really tight community. We have a Ligans morning tea every Tuesday morning. That's when we can mingle with other people outside of our group, and we can suggest any concern we might have, and people generally will listen to you and try to help you. If someone is interested in doing a postgraduate study, I would tell them to make sure they stay committed, because compared to undergraduate study, postgraduate study requires a lot of independent study. But the end result is going to be really rewarding, because you will become an expert in your selected choice of field.