A self-professed “avid aquarist and gardener”, NTU Biological Sciences student Ryan Soh said it all began when he was a child. His parents wouldn’t let him have cats or dogs as pets. They suggested he start with fish instead and he’s stuck with the hobby since. Over the years, he’s kept both fish and invertebrates such as crayfish and snails, and he tries to mimic their natural environment in the tanks to improve their quality of life.

It is this love for plants and animals that drew Ryan to microbiology. “After all, the world of bacteria, fungi and viruses is a microcosm of the world of animals and plants. There are many parallels that can be drawn between the world under a microscope and the world we can see with our naked eyes,” he says.

The aspiring microbiologist is part of the NTU CN Yang Scholars Programme and is working on his final-year research project at NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine investigating the relationship between two bacteria commonly found together in infections that may help in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

CN Yang scholars have research attachments with NTU professors as early as in their first and second year of study.

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