For Peter Jin, being a scientist was somewhat accidental. Born and raised in a family with lawyers and business professionals, he never thought he would become a scientist. With an interest in mathematics, he studied applied mathematics for his undergraduate degree in Taiwan. While not certain about his career path, he pursued a Master of Science degree in Biostatistics at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. As a master’s student, he worked as a biostatistician in a lab finding genetic variance that influences substance dependance. This experience sparked his interest in the interdisciplinary research of genetics and statistics, leading him to enroll in WashU’s Human and Statistical Genetics PhD program. “I’m a self-taught biologist,” Jin stated, noting that he had never taken a biology class before his PhD.
With a research background in Alzheimer’s disease during his PhD, Jin shifted his focus to rare disease during his postdoc in Dr. Richard Lifton’s laboratory at Yale School of Medicine. He primarily focused on studying congenital heart disease. Since then, researching rare diseases has become the main focus of Jin’s laboratory. The lab started out in the midst of the pandemic in 2020, a difficult time as Jin recalled. “I had to think outside of the box because almost all of the suggestions from senior faculty members can not apply to my case.” Instead of doing experiments, Jin initially had to focus on setting up his dry lab and wrapping up a few papers from his postdoc. “Be patient and stay focused on your niche,” advises Jin to researchers starting a new lab.
The Jin lab currently focuses on the integration of human genetics, functional genomics and bioinformatics to understand the impact of genetic variation on molecular pathway, cellular process and disease states. “We are a very collaborative and caring team.” Jin describes his lab. Aspiring to contribute to the development of treatments of disease, Jin is hopeful that scientists will be able to develop targeted therapeutics for rare diseases such as congenital heart disease. “Congenital heart disease is very different from Alzheimer’s disease where the disease-causing mutation is more trackable.” The lab’s latest achievement is receiving R01 funding from the NIH, a milestone for Jin.
Jin is the co-course director of “Genomics”, an important course many PhD students in the DBBS programs take. Teaching and mentoring are two aspects of his faculty role that Jin finds particularly enjoyable, which are opportunities often unavailable in an industry position. He takes pride in adapting his teaching style to each student he mentors. “It’s important to engage students in open discussions and treat them as equals.” Jin emphasizes the importance of understanding the student’s interests in order to provide them with optimal resources for their success.
When not in the lab or teaching, Jin likes to spend time in the gym regularly. “Having a balanced lifestyle is very important for me. I believe consistency can bring you more achievements down the road.” A basketball fan, Jin finds inspiration from LeBron James. “He is like a role model, always consistent and has high standards for himself.” During weekends, he likes to take his 8-year-old son to spend a day at the Science Center or the Magic House.