This September, Miao Yuchen ’26, a chemistry graduating senior from the School of Physical Science and Technology (SPST), will begin his PhD studies in Chemical Biology at Peking University’s Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies.
Looking back on his undergraduate years, Miao now realizes that one question has guided him all along the journey—beyond helping us understand the molecular world, can chemistry also help us make sense of the far more complex processes of life?
The answer did not emerge all at once.
When he first arrived at ShanghaiTech, he was simply fascinated by chemistry. His coursework provided a solid foundation in the discipline, but it was his experience in the laboratory that truly transformed the way he viewed the subject.
In the summer after his first year, Miao joined Assistant Professor Huan-Ming Huang’s research group. From reproducing reaction pathways to analyzing spectra and troubleshooting experimental challenges, he gained his first real experience of what scientific research entails.
Miao Yuchen conducting chemical experiments in Prof. Huang’s lab.
“Research is not about tackling grand questions from the very beginning,” he says. “It starts with carrying out a reaction successfully and understanding why it works.”
The training he received in the laboratory taught him that chemistry is more than a body of knowledge—it is a way of approaching and solving problems.
This realization deepened during his one-year overseas study at the University of California, Berkeley.
During his junior year, Miao spent one year at UC Berkeley, where he participated in synthetic chemistry research. The demanding nature of this research strengthened his appreciation for patience and rigor, while courses related to drug discovery and biophysical chemistry opened an entirely new perspective.
Once molecules enter living systems, he learned, they can become medicines, probes, or powerful tools for uncovering the mechanisms of disease.
“Chemistry is the language I know best,” Miao says. “But I increasingly wanted to know whether that language could help us understand life.”
From that point on, his interests gradually expanded beyond molecules themselves toward broader questions in the life sciences, ultimately leading him to pursue doctoral training in chemical biology.
Outside the laboratory, Miao also spent three years serving as a student assistant in ShanghaiTech’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
From undergraduate admissions events to admissions outreach events at high schools, he introduced prospective students and their families to the university. At first, he was simply sharing information about ShanghaiTech. Over time, he realized that he was also telling the story of his own growth.
Miao Yuchen introducing prospective students to ShanghaiTech in admissions outreach events.
When asked whether undergraduates have opportunities to participate in research, he would often recall his own experience of joining a research group as a freshman. When discussing international study programs, he would share what he learned during his time at Berkeley. Experiences that had once shaped his own development gradually became stories he could pass on to others.
Four years ago, Miao arrived at ShanghaiTech with a passion for chemistry. Four years later, he leaves with a new set of questions.
Chemistry remains the language he knows best, but he hopes to use that language to explore the complexity of living systems. From reactions in a flask to molecular networks within cells, the scope of the questions he seeks to answer continues to expand.
His PhD journey will simply be the next chapter in that exploration.