Last updated: February 08th, 2025

👋🏻 Welcome, I'm Justin! 😄

Aging is inevitable, but suffering from it doesn't have to be. As a biomedical scientist and geroscience enthusiast, my work seeks to unravel the biological mechanisms of aging, leveraging the Drosophila model to explore how conserved aging pathways intersect with environmental stressors, metabolic diseases, and circadian biology. My ultimate goal is to uncover insights that translate into human health span extension and provide therapeutic targets for age-related diseases.

Growing up in Malaysia, I intimately witnessed the personal and financial toll of aging through my experience as a caregiver for my grandmother. Caregiving for her costs more than the average annual household income, highlighting the stark reality that a comfortable death is a privilege many cannot afford. As the world’s aging population doubles by 2050, our challenge is clear: we must shift from treating age-related diseases reactively to preventing them proactively. Again, longevity should be a gift, not a burden

As a PhD student at Rutgers University in Cell and Developmental Biology, I explore advanced tools such as optogenetics and gene manipulation to investigate the intersections between sensory perception, circadian rhythmicity, and aging. Complementary, my master's project investigated the impact of C. elegans-derived commensal bacteria on aging, healthspan, and behavior in Drosophila melanogaster, focusing on their interactions with the insulin/insulin-like signaling (IIS) pathway. Likewise, I have worked across disciplines from asthma genetics, breast cancer, to metabolic disorders. These experiences have strengthened my expertise in:

• Microbiology and host-microbe interactions

• Molecular biology (genetic manipulations, immunostaining, and Western blotting)

• Drosophila experimentation (survival assays, behavior tracking, dissections, and optogenetics)

• Statistical modeling & computational analysis (R Studio)

• Scientific communication & public engagement

Supplementary to my career in Biomedical Science, I have:

• Engaged in entrepreneurship competitions 

• Cofounded a social enterprise that promotes healthy eating

• Tutored English to over 520 non-native speakers worldwide (Freelance/Duolingo)

• Hosted/organized over 40 public events (Freelance EMCEE)

• Empowered marginalized communities in Malaysia through social justice advocacy and outreach (North-South Initiative)