By Dana Meknas
Journalist at TREC
It’s almost Christmas, and while many are caught up in the Christmas rush, 33 year old Robin Liang is preparing for her dissertation, which will take place December 17th. From February 2015 she’s been working on a research project that is now coming to an end.
Title of the thesis: Role of Mannose-Binding Lectin and Complement Activation in Venous Thromboembolism.
Date: December 17th, 2019.
Location: Auditorium Cerebrum, MH2, University of Tromsø – the Arctic University of Norway.
You’re almost there! How does it feel to be so close to completing your PhD?
– Good, though I am getting a bit nervous now in the final stretch.
How much work has it really been?
– Needless to say it’s been a lot of work.
What is your research about?
– The complement system has been implicated in thrombogenesis, but little is known about its role in venous thrombosis. We found that complement activation products were associated with risk of VTE, and that Mannose-binding lectin (MBL), an initiator of one of the complement pathways, was also associated with VTE. Moreover, we found that individuals with blood type O and high MBL levels have an especially high risk of provoked PE.
Robin is originally from California and studied medicine at the University of Szeged, in Hungary. She graduated as a medical doctor in 2014, and then went on to research and becoming a scientist.
What has it been like to take this degree? Fun? Challenging? Hard?
– All of the above and more.
What has it been like to work at TREC?
– It has been a privilege to work with such a fun and supportive group.
What has been the best thing about it?
– To be a part of a team.
What has been your motivation to do this?
– I have always been interested in research, so this was a great opportunity to get a taste for it.
How were you recruited to TREC?
– A job application 😉
What are you going to do next?
– On to the clinics as LIS1 (lege i spesialisering) at the University Hospital in Tromsø! And hopefully a bit of research as well down the line.
We wish Robin the best of luck these last days!
