Meet the editorial Staff of the Viral Times
Over the next four days, three early career scientists will follow and cover dedicated sessions and poster presentations from their peers. They will report back in our daily virtual newspaper, which will be published each morning and displayed throughout the conference centre.
But first, let us introduce our editorial team: Nicole Ngai Yung TSANG, Laura GADEA-SALOM and Jennifer ZHONG.
Interview with Nicole Ngai Yung Tsang
Where in the world do you call home?
Hong Kong.
What is your background or story so far?
Completed my PhD study in infectious disease epidemiology, I have worked on several studies on the diagnostics, surveillance, and vaccination of COVID-19. I am motivated to explore effective strategies in preventing and controlling respiratory infections.
What keeps you busy in your current role?
As a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Hong Kong, my research primarily focuses on the transmission of respiratory viruses in the community, with an aim to enhance the control of infectious diseases.
What kind of experience have you gathered along the way?
Realized the importance of translating scientific evidence to inform the way forward, I am dedicated to join international collaborative groups to review evidence and develop clinical guidelines (European Respiratory Society and European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases).
What topics or areas spark your main focus these days?
I found many topics in ESWI are interesting, from surveillance, burden of disease, pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions, to pandemic preparedness.
Interview with Laura GADEA-SALOM
Where in the world do you call home?
Valencia is where my roots are, and no matter where I go, it remains the center of my sense of home. I have lived in various countries, which have had a significant impact on who I am, and I will always have a special place in my heart for them. However, Valencia is the place I long to return to.
What is your background or story so far?
I completed all my formal studies at the University of Valencia, but I have always been interested in experiencing science beyond my home institution. As an undergraduate, I participated in an Erasmus program at Nottingham Trent University, and during my PhD, I did a three-month internship at the Cologne Cluster of Excellence CECAD at the University of Cologne. Working alongside researchers from different countries has shown me how the diversity of perspectives enriches the scientific process and fosters innovative thinking.
What keeps you busy in your current role?
At this stage, I am focusing on analyzing the data I collected during the beginning of my PhD. It has been incredibly rewarding to see how information that once seemed scattered and overwhelming is now coming together to reveal unexpected patterns and insights that continue to encourage me to further expand and refine my analysis.
What kind of experience have you gathered along the way?
I have had the opportunity to deepen my knowledge in bioinformatics through numerous workshops and the invaluable guidance of several professors. While my academic background is rooted in biology, my growing experience with bioinformatics has highlighted how essential it is to share ideas and cultivate an interdisciplinary environment.
What topics or areas spark your main focus these days?
Currently, my main focus is on understanding host-pathogen interactions, especially how pathogens hijack cellular machinery to ensure their survival and replication, and how host cells respond to these threats. In order to achieve these aims, I am also dedicated to developing more sophisticated experimental setups and refining cellular models that more closely mimic human physiology, with the goal of enhancing the relevance and precision of our findings.
Interview with Jennifer ZHONG
Where in the world do you call home?
Vancouver, Canada.
What is your background or story so far?
I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto where I studied global health and immunology. While in Toronto, I also worked for the Health Canada Drug Analysis Service (DAS) and with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), sparking my interest in public health research. Afterwards, I spent a summer in Shenzhen, China as a research assistant in a microbiology lab. This helped me realize my strengths and interests lay more in computational and data-driven work than in the wet lab. Encouraged by my supervisor, I explored doctoral opportunities in Hong Kong and ultimately joined the University of Hong Kong (HKU) for my PhD. In between, I moved back to Vancouver for a year, where I conducted cost-benefit analyses for a local orthodontics clinic.
What keeps you busy in your current role?
Much of my time is spent writing—both code and papers. Coming from a laboratory background, I’ve had to invest extra effort into strengthening my skills in coding and mathematics. My projects are highly collaborative, so there’s a constant flow of feedback, comments, and emails to respond to.
What kind of experience have you gathered along the way?
Along the way, the most important experience I've gained is my ability to adapt. Whether I was working with administrative data in Toronto, conducting lab work in Shenzhen, or applying health economics in Vancouver, each experience taught me how to navigate new systems, collaborate across disciplines, and communicate effectively with diverse teams.
What topics or areas spark your main focus these days?
My current research focus is influenza population immunity, in both vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. I’m particularly interested in how immunity shifts over time and across populations.
Learn more about our writers via the virtual platform: