1. Can you please tell us the main difficulties you had in the laboratory work and how you overcame them?

Laboratory work can be demanding, leading to stress and burnout. To overcome this, establish a work-life balance. I do exercise, yoga and running. I would like to say the data collection was our main difficulty. Because it is not easy to find recovered patients with schizophrenia and our professor spent much of his time and energy. These patients were participating in the Korea Early Psychosis Study (KEPS). The KEPS was a prospective observational study conducted over 8 years, focusing on treatment response, remission, recovery, and relapse as primary outcomes. On the other hand, it was not just difficult, but also key to success for this paper.

2. Please introduce your laboratory, university or organization to bio-researchers in Korea.

I’m a current PhD student in the Psychiatry laboratory's fMRI team of the Medical Science department of Jeonbuk National University. I think the biggest advantage of our lab is that you can learn how to apply various research methodologies. In the fMRI team are conducting research that brain aging, brain network and connectivity, with deep learning techniques, functional connectivity analysis and graph theory analysis. In addition, it has the advantage of enabling research from abroad perspective due to active collaboration with laboratories in various fields. I would also like to mention that the facilities are good, so a comfortable laboratory life.

3. Please tell us your experiences and your thoughts related to research activities abroad.

Conducting research abroad can be a highly enriching experience for researchers and scholars. It offers opportunities for international collaboration with experts from different parts of the world, access to specialized resources, exposure to new cultures and languages, networking, skill development, personal growth, funding options, and enhanced publishing and recognition. While these benefits are substantial, it's essential to be aware of potential challenges such as visa requirements and adapting to a different academic culture when planning to conduct research abroad.

4. Can you provide some advice for younger scientists who have plans to study abroad?

Research activities abroad can offer numerous benefits, both professionally and personally. However, it's essential to plan and prepare thoroughly to make the most of this opportunity and address any potential challenges that may arise during your international research experience.

I am a junior scientist too. However, I am trying to give a simple and important tip for younger scientists like me “Try to find a field that you can fall in love with and the best supervisor professor. If you can everything will be easy. Goodluck”.

5. Future plan?

I started with physics, double majored in electronics, and have been conducting medical science research. Just like explaining how the universe behaves in physics, I am always interested in exploring and analyzing human brain structure and function through medical science. I am currently focusing on brain networks. My goal as a scholar is to fully understand the human brain and find important biomarkers to help treatment for psychosis patients. My nearest plan is to continue as a postdoc in my lab to learn more from my professor and finish my next project.

6. Do you have anything else that you would like to tell Korean scientists and students?

I had the most enriching experiences of my life during the past three years in graduate school. My Ph. D journey was indeed a period filled with numerous challenges, both academic and personal, which made me a better researcher and family member. I do not believe I could have overcome all these challenges and completed this paper without the support and guidance of many. First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my research advisor Professor Young-Chul Chung. You are one of the most intellectually curious minds I have ever met, and I am so fortunate to call you my Ph. D supervisor. Your constant enthusiasm for research made my graduate school experience more exciting. I learned a lot from your meticulous approach to conducting research, and I will carry the same attitude in my future work. I thank you for providing me the opportunity to challenge myself in a new research field and for your valuable mentoring time and encouragement to obtain a graduate degree. My graduate school experience wouldn't have been as memorable and joyful as it is without the members of the fMRI group. Especially, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Woo-Sung Kim, for sharing me your knowledge and giving me valuable feedback, for mentoring me at the earlier stage of my research.