“If you are the slightest bit interested, you should definitely apply”
Connie Phong, NSF-Simons NITMB Visiting Scholar, on the NITMB’s Visiting Scholars program
As the summer comes to a close, the NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology is celebrating the Institute’s first Visiting Scholar. Designed to enhance collaboration and stimulate creative thinking between mathematicians and biologists, the NSF-Simons NITMB Visiting Scholars program provides participants with access to the Institute’s valuable resources. Connie Phong, Assistant Teaching Professor at Northeastern University in Oakland and the NITMB’s first Visiting Scholar, began her affiliation with the NITMB early in the summer. Phong’s time as an NITMB Visiting Scholar will conclude on August 31st, 2024.
Meet Connie Phong
Connie Phong, Assistant Teaching Professor, Northeastern University in Oakland
Connie Phong is a systems biologist interested in exploring how biological systems understand their environment. Phong’s interests include:
How organisms sort, collect, and encode (biologically and genetically) information about the environment.
How environmental information drives programs of development, growth, and reproduction.
How links between environmental information processing and physiology have and will change over ecological and evolutionary timescales.
Outside of research, Connie Phong is also interested in baking. Phong remarked that “I feel like most biochemists I’ve met are bakers. This is biochemistry you get to do at home.” When she is not conducting research or baking, Phong has become interested in outdoor activities, including trail running and climbing.
Instances of confusion are what drive Connie Phong to continue her work and find new approaches. “I am really amazed by how biological systems work,” Phong expressed. “I think it would be a challenge to build a system like those in cold blooded organisms. Really wanting to understand the things that confuse me are the things that I find work so well as inspiration for my research.” Such confusion has continued to open new research directions for Phong. As she continues to investigate biological systems, she has found that integrating mathematical disciplines offers promising potential. Recently, Phong has become interested in studying organisms with complex life cycles. These organisms face critical junctures during development, and collaboration with mathematicians could aid in understanding this phenomenon. “These are all inherently information processing and optimization problems that I think are interesting to mathematicians and theorists,” Phong explained.
This belief in the importance of integrating mathematics and biology stems in part from a critical experience in Connie Phong’s career. After finishing her PhD, Phong travelled to Antarctica with the National Science Foundation. The trip was so soon after the completion of her PhD that, as Phong described, “I defended on a Friday and caught a plane to start my journey to Antarctica that weekend.” While in Antarctica, Phong began to notice the importance of the different perspectives she was able to bring to the other researchers on the trip. Phong had initially been computationally trained, and later shifted her focus to experimental research. “What made it exciting for other people to have me around was that I already came from this nontraditional background.” A multidisciplinary background and traveling to Antarctica provided Phong the opportunity to engage in unique field work, opening her eyes to the potential available with interdisciplinary work.
Connie Phong Visits the NITMB
Connie Phong’s interest in interdisciplinary work made her excited to engage with the NITMB once she learned about the Institute’s mission to integrate biological and mathematical disciplines. “I had this strong feeling that theory and math will advance my research questions and the field of biology,” Phong described. Specifically, Phong wanted to meet members of the NITMB community conducting novel, interdisciplinary research. “I wanted to talk about the phenomenology that’s at the root of the question I’m interested in, to people who have different backgrounds than I do, and see what they think about the problem in an unbiased way.” The resources the NITMB provided Phong in the NITMB Visiting Scholars program went beyond access to the NITMB community. NITMB Visiting Scholars are also provided access to NITMB events and workshops.
As an educator, Connie Phong also greatly appreciated the NITMB’s emphasis on education. The Summer Undergraduate Research program was a highlight for Phong, as she enjoyed the opportunity to listen to talks from the undergraduates. “That is a highlight, especially in my role as a teacher,” remarked Phong. Access to NITMB programs like the Summer Undergraduate Research program is valuable to Connie Phong’s career aspirations. Phong has described plans to implement a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at her home institution, and the NITMB’s Summer Undergraduate Research program provided valuable insight. “I’m interested in learning more about how the REU worked out and what actionable items people affiliated with building the REU program could have on how I would be able to develop a curriculum for students.” Programs like the Summer Undergraduate Research program worked to inspire not just the student participants, but also members of the NITMB community like Phong.
When reflecting on her time engaging with the NITMB, what left the greatest impression on Connie Phong was the way in which the Institute is removing barriers for interdisciplinary research. “Sometimes in academia you are asked to stay in your lane,” Phong expressed. “But I feel like the NITMB respects the fact that this is artificial. That is a big barrier [the NITMB] removes. I have felt welcomed in this community. You are allowed to be in the interspace, and people appreciate the interspace.” The insight and community Phong has gained during her time as an NITMB Visiting Scholar will continue to follow her throughout her career.
The Impact of the NITMB Visiting Scholars Program on Connie Phong
As Phong prepares to return to her home institution, she is certain her experiences as an NITMB Visiting Scholar will leave a lasting impression on her career. The greatest resource Phong appreciated as an NITMB Visiting Scholar was access to NITMB’s diverse community. “Everyone has been so generous with their time,” said Phong. “I’ve been able to talk to some of the NITMB Fellows and affiliated postdocs about their research.” Having access to the NITMB community also meant access to events and talks for NITMB members like Research-In-Progress meetings, another aspect of the NITMB Phong appreciated.
All aspects of the NITMB are available to support, inspire, and remove barriers for NITMB Visiting Scholars. Connie Phong is enthusiastic in her endorsement of the NITMB’s Visiting Scholars program. “I would say that if you are the slightest bit interested, you should definitely apply,” said Phong. “I really think the program is important. Being able to spend time here is important.”
What’s next for Connie Phong?
New opportunities, projects, and continued engagement with the NITMB are all part of Connie Phong’s plans after she departs the NITMB’s Visiting Scholars program. Future research planned by Phong involves continuing to work at the interface of mathematical and biological disciplines. Phong has expressed interest in “starting some projects where the measurements are going to be pretty intensive, so that’s where I feel like I would benefit from having insights or perspectives from people who are on the modeling side.” In addition to engaging with the NITMB community, Phong plans to apply for the NITMB’s External Project Grants to continue working at the intersection of research disciplines.
The NITMB is grateful for having had the opportunity to meet and work with Connie Phong, and the Institute looks forward to future opportunities to engage with Phong as she enters the next phase of her research career.
NITMB members interested in learning more about Connie Phong’s work can attend Phong’s Research-In-Progress talk on Friday, August 30th at 1pm.
If you are interested in learning more about the Visiting Scholars program at the NITMB, visit https://www.nitmb.org/research/visting-scholars