Zikang Xu

Hi! I’m Zikang and I’ll be undertaking my PhD at SAiGENCI under the supervision of Professor Lan Nguyen and Dr Sungyoung Shin. I completed my Master’s degree in Prof. Lan’s lab at Monash, where I investigated synthetic lethality in cancer. Earlier, I developed AI-driven algorithms for quantitative trading and completed a research internship at the SIBCB, Chinese Academy of Sciences, exploring DNA demethylation.
Bridging computational finance and molecular biology has shown me that mechanistic systems-biology models, empowered by modern AI and HPC, can help close persistent gaps in cancer research. Driven by curiosity and a personal promise, I aim to expand our understanding of cancer biology and advance the search for more effective therapies by leveraging mechanistic models to pinpoint actionable vulnerabilities in tumour-signalling networks - from synthetic-lethal pairs to combination strategies that pre-empt adaptive resistance. I’m honoured to join SAiGENCI and look forward to learning from everyone and, in whatever small way I can, contributing to our collective efforts.