Bioscience · Omics · Drug Development

Exploring the molecular language
of life, one dataset at a time.

I am a master's student in Biotherapeutics at University College Dublin, with a background in biological sciences from SCAU and UCD. My work sits at the intersection of multi-omics integration, medicinal plant research, and drug development — using computational and wet-lab approaches to understand how organisms adapt and how we can leverage biology therapeutically.

Research Interests

Multi-Omics Integration Medicinal Plant Biology Biotherapeutics Microbiome Analysis Metabolomics Transcriptomics Drug Development Terpenoid Biosynthesis Soil Ecology Ecotoxicology

Education

MSc Biotherapeutics
Sep 2025 – Aug 2026
University College Dublin, Ireland
  • Project in Biotherapeutics Development
  • Biotherapeutic Pipeline · System Biology in Drug Development
  • Recombinant DNA Technology · Bioprocessing · Regulatory Affairs of Life Science
  • Microbial and Animal Cell Products · HCS Microscopy
Gold Harp Scholar (€6,500)
BSc Biological Science
Sep 2021 – Jan 2025
University College Dublin, Ireland
  • Plant Biology · Animal Biology · Microbiology
  • Quantitative Skills for Biologists
GPA 3.62 / 4.0
BSc Biological Science
Sep 2021 – Jan 2025
South China Agriculture University, China
  • Molecular Biology · Microbiology · Biochemistry
  • Animal Biology · Plant Biology · Mathematics
Avg. 86 / 100

Research Experience

Research Assistant (Remote)
Dec 2024 – Present
Lingnan Modern Agricultural Lab, SCAU
Stellaria dichotoma L. var. lanceolata Bge. Habitat Adaptation
  • Designed multi-habitat sampling protocols and QC standards for soil, root, and plant tissue samples.
  • Preprocessed 16S/ITS microbial sequencing and LC-MS/MS metabolome data via QIIME2, R, and Python.
  • Performed diversity analysis, differential metabolite identification, and enrichment analysis.
  • Constructed soil–root–microbiota–metabolome interaction networks; produced PCA/PCoA, heatmap, and volcano plot visualisations.
  • Assisted in manuscript drafting (Results and Methods sections).
Research Assistant
Oct 2023 – Dec 2024
Lingnan Modern Agricultural Lab, SCAU
Omics Authenticity Study on Yangchun Sha Medicinal Herbs
  • Evaluated two new varieties of Amomum villosum (A11 & A12) via integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses.
  • Processed large-scale omics data using R, SPSS, Prism, and Metware Cloud Platform.
  • Performed differential gene expression analysis, KEGG pathway enrichment, and gene–metabolite correlation studies.
  • Quantified volatile oils (bornyl acetate, camphor, borneol) using GC-MS.
  • Validated key terpenoid biosynthesis genes via qPCR.

Publications

Heterogeneous Soil Microbiome and Metabolic Regulation Drive the Adaptation of Stellaria dichotoma L. var. lanceolata Bge. to Two Contrasting Extreme Habitats
Zhenkai Li#, Zhiheng Dai#, Tianle Cheng#, Huan Li, Xi He, Li Peng, Gaobin Pu, Hong Wu*, Qian Liu*
Industrial Crops and Products
Under Review IF 6.2 JCR Q1 First Author
Halogen Substitution Effects on Environmental Fate and Ecotoxicology of Benzoylurea Insecticides
Zhiheng Dai¹ and Mohd Faheem Khan¹*
Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology
Under Review JCR Q1 First Author
Effects of Ultrasound and Microwave-Assisted Green Solvent Extraction on Lipid Extraction Efficiency and Fatty Acid Profiles of Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Weihao Meng¹, Zhiheng Dai¹, Marco Garcia-Vaquero*
JCR Q1 Journal (manuscript under review)
Under Review JCR Q1 Co-Author
Integrated Analysis of Metabolomics, Flavoromics, and Transcriptomics for Evaluating New Varieties of Amomum villosum Lour.
Li Z, Luo X, Yao Y, Wang Y, Dai Z, Cheng T, Huang X, Bai M, He J, Wu H*
Plants (Basel). 2024 Aug 26;13(17):2382
Published IF 4.1 JCR Q1
The Combined Effects of Climate, Soil, and Rhizospheric Microorganisms Determine the Quality and Suitable Production Zones of Stellaria dichotoma L.var.lanceolata Bge. in China
Li Z, Yang Y, Feng L, Li H, Dai Z, Cheng T, Liu S, Ma L, Luo X, Wang Y, Peng L, Wu H*
Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture. 2024 Dec 18;11(1):185
Published IF 5.2 JCR Q1

Honors & Awards

Gold Harp Scholarship (UCD-ISS) — €6,500
University College Dublin · Awarded for outstanding academic performance in the master's programme
2025
Outstanding Contributor, China University Life Science Competition
National recognition for undergraduate life-science research
Oct 2023
Significant Contributor, Biochemical Experiments Contest for College Students
Guangdong Province · National undergraduate biochemistry competition
Sep 2023

Skills & Tools

Data & Programming
R / RStudio Python QIIME2 SPSS Metware Cloud
Bioinformatics & Analysis
Metabolomics Transcriptomics 16S/ITS Sequencing KEGG Enrichment DEG Analysis Network Analysis
Wet Lab
qPCR GC-MS LC-MS/MS
Visualization & Design
Cytoscape Origin Prism Photoshop CorelDRAW Microsoft Office
Languages
Cantonese (Native) Mandarin (Native) English (Fluent)