In 2024, the IT industry in the USA faced significant layoffs, although the numbers were lower than those in 2023. So far, 484 tech companies have laid off a total of 142,532 employees. This marks a notable decrease from the previous year, when 1,193 companies laid off 264,220 workers (Fast Company, November 2024). 

How can we prepare to maintain our current professional careers or find new opportunities amid the AI revolution? This presentation shares the speaker's experiences with five case studies that highlight AI challenges across various sectors, including academia, industry, and nonprofit organizations. It concludes that to stand out as the top 1%, we must do what the other 99% will not, focusing on the principles of 3D (Different, Distinctive, and Directive) and 3S (S.M.A.R.T., Sustainable, and Strong).

As automation becomes increasingly prevalent in manufacturing and logistics, there is a growing demand for robots that can work closely with humans and perform tasks requiring interaction and cooperation. Companies like Boston Dynamics, Tesla, and Figure have intensified their efforts in humanoid robot development, drawing significant attention to this field. This talk explores the reasons behind the recent surge of interest in humanoid robots by examining their historical development, advancements in AI technologies, and practical application areas. Insights will be shared on designing user-friendly robots, with an emphasis on motion control and human-robot interaction to create robots that integrate seamlessly and safely into human environments. Enhancing the usefulness of robots in daily life requires a deeper understanding of human tasks and improved methods for task execution. Ultimately, this presentation aims to highlight the importance of humanoid robots and their potential impact across various industries and everyday life, illustrating why now is the time to focus on the development and deployment.

Superconducting niobium represent a popular material for quantum computing device application. Similar to how understanding of the superconductivity properties in bulk has been significantly progressed for high field magnet and superconducting radio frequency (SRF) technology, the effect of thin superconducting Nb film for quantum computing device requires further examinations. Specifically, there exists complexity of the extrinsic superconductivity in terms of dirty limit condition that originates from chip fabrication. The property is strongly relevant to the coherence time (T1) of a quantum computing qubit, which is the critical parameter that can realize a practical application of quantum computer. 

Gene regulation is a fundamental mechanism that underpins growth, development, metabolism, and stress resilience in living organisms. It is governed by dynamic interactions between cis- and trans-acting elements. Cis-acting elements, or cis-regulatory elements (CREs), are specific DNA sequences located near genes, while trans-acting elements, such as transcription factors, are proteins encoded elsewhere in the genome that bind to CREs in a sequence-specific manner. However, how these interactions are dynamically modulated in plants in response to environmental stress remains poorly understood. In this seminar, I will discuss systems-level approaches that have shed light on the gene regulatory mechanisms enabling plants to overcome environmental challenges and enhance stress resilience. These approaches not only have transformative potential in crop research but are also broadly applicable to other biological systems and questions, offering valuable insights across disciplines. 

With the recent surge in public interest in electric vehicles (EVs)—spanning stocks, policies, and technologies—batteries, as an essential component of EVs, have also gained significant attention. Batteries are electrochemical device that stores chemical energy converting into electrical energy when needed. It has been crucial not only for automobiles but also for numerous electronic devices we use in our daily lives. Over the years, battery technology has continuously advanced to meet growing demands. However, despite their increasing importance and development, public understanding of batteries remains limited and often unclear.

This presentation aims to provide a fundamental understanding of batteries while discussing the current state and future directions of battery research and development. By exploring examples of how diverse scientific and technological advancements are applied to battery R&D, the presentation seeks to offer audiences a clearer perspective on the importance and potential of batteries in modern society.

Viruses have evolved diverse strategies to evade the host immune system, ensuring their persistence. Among them, gamma-herpesviruses like Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) are notable for the strategies that enable life-long infection and significant oncogenic potential. In this presentation, I will provide an overview of key viral immune evasion mechanisms and explain how KSHV subverts host defenses. Drawing on my recent study, I will highlight how certain KSHV-encoded proteins disrupt antiviral signaling, ultimately facilitating immune escape. Finally, I will discuss potential applications arising from this research, including novel antiviral therapies and immune-based cancer treatments, emphasizing the clinical relevance of these findings. 

Recent advances in high-resolution, high-throughput molecular measurements have laid an unprecedented basis for studying the collective behavior of biological systems. However, the scale and complexity of the data make interpretation difficult. My group develops high-resolution, high-content molecular measurement technologies and new conceptual frameworks for analysis to understand how molecular mechanisms coalesce into systems-level biological phenotypes. I take a unique information-centric approach, focusing on how to design, collect, and interpret the massive high-resolution omics datasets to gain new biological insights. I will present two frontier areas where my group is making significant breakthroughs: ‘single virus genomics’ and ‘comparative whole-brain spatial omics’. On the ‘single virus genomics’ front, I will discuss how we have integrated new double emulsion methods to move beyond infection-based single virus assays and enable direct profiling of individual virus genomes at extremely high throughput. I will discuss the first quantitative assessment study of influenza reassortment using environmentally circulating virus strains, the phenomenon underlying flu pandemics and large-scale endemics. On the ‘comparative whole-brain spatial omics’ front, I will discuss the 3D transcriptome map that we have generated from honey bee brains and new analytical frameworks that we have developed to analyze these comprehensive spatial maps. This work provides insights into how molecular-scale processes are assembled into macroscopic brain function.

Endothelial cells serve as key mechanosensors that translate fluid shear stress (FSS) into biochemical and biomechanical responses, which are critical for vascular homeostasis and disease progression. In this talk, I will present insights from our recent studies, including our published findings on endothelial mechanotransduction under physiological and pathological flow conditions. Our work has demonstrated that distinct mechanosensitive ion channels, including Piezo1 and TRPV4, play differential roles in traction force modulation, cell alignment, and cytoskeletal adaptation to shear stress.

We recently uncovered that Piezo1 exhibits sensitivity to high FSS but not to transient low FSS, suggesting that its activation requires a certain threshold of shear stress to elicit a functional response. In contrast, TRPV4 governs the rapid traction increase and facilitates both short- and long-term mechanoadaptation under shear flow. Additionally, our findings highlight a fundamental traction imbalance between the front and rear of endothelial cells under flow, indicating a polarized mechanotransduction mechanism that may drive directed cell migration and vascular remodeling.

By integrating traction force microscopy (TFM), live-cell imaging, and targeted ion channel perturbations, we provide a refined understanding of the mechanistic pathways governing endothelial shear mechanotransduction. These insights not only advance our knowledge of vascular biomechanics but also suggest potential therapeutic targets for endothelial dysfunction and vascular diseases.