Jenny Liu

I’m Jenny and I’m currently a rising fifth year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, St. George campus. I am double majoring in Molecular Genetics & Microbiology and Immunology, and minoring in Creative Expression & Society.

As a 2021 Laidlaw Research & Leadership Scholar, I studied the regulation of transcription factor Runx3 expression within early proprioceptor development with the De Nooij Lab of the Department of Neurology at Columbia University. In my third year, I completed a project under the Department of Immunology with the Anderson Lab at Sunnybrook Research Institute. I worked on elucidating the role of Runx factors in transcriptional regulation of early thymocyte development. In my fourth year, I completed a project under the Department of Molecular Genetics with the Ellis Lab at The Hospital for Sick Children. I derived human sensory neurons from induced pluripotent stem cells derived from individuals with Rett syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Outside of academics and research, I work as a Head Residence Don at U of T’s University College. I enjoy skateboarding with my friends, reading and writing poetry, and listening to alternative rock. I look forward to learning more about stem cells and developmental biology, meeting the Amgen Scholars and program coordinators, and experiencing all that the Amgen Scholars Program has to offer.