About me

Hi! My name is Zhijian. I am working toward a PhD in Biophysics, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. I started my PhD program in Fall of 2019, after graduating from Chongqing University, China with a degree in physics focused on spatially collective behavior like spin electronics and cancer cell invasion. I am also working towards a master in applied math and a graduate certificate in Complex Systems.

My research interests now are revealing universal laws and interesting behaviors in evolutionary dynamics and complex systems under a spatially-extended environment, with tools from statistical physics, dynamical system, and stochastic process. I’m also interested in clinical-related applications such as how our findings can help us better understand antibiotic resistance and cancer metastasis, both experimentally and theoretically. I’m currently supervised by Professor Kevin Wood, on investigating how bacteria grows and evolves in a spatially drug heterogeneous environment.

Outside of research, I pretty enjoy outdoor activities like basketball, hiking and kayaking. I just started a new hobby in cross-country skiing. During the long, freezing winters in Ann Arbor, I enjoy reading detective fiction novels and watching movies, and playing dumb board games with my lovely friends.