The Anatomy of the life of Dr. Jin Huang

22 April 2009 was no different for Dr. Jin Huang who lectures at the Discipline of Biomedical Science, University of Sydney. But her First Year Undergraduates must have enjoyed her “Somatosensory Pathways” lecture as she showed them a funny picture of the sensory homunculus which is a distorted representation of the body in a small region inside the brain. Dr. Huang has her own unique style of teaching in which she believes in linking examples and utilising visuals.

Dr. Huang teaches anatomy, physiology and her favourite of all, neuroscience. Her dedication to her teaching career is a result of the satisfaction she gets. Research is her other commitment to science. When she is free from lectures in the Cumberland Campus, she will be at the main campus working on her retina research with her team. Many techniques are used including the use of light microscope for the dissection of the retina from the eye.

Outside the classrooms and labs, Jin enjoys the beauty of nature. She enjoys bushwalking and travelling, which allows her to interact with people outside of her usual science bubble, allowing her to broaden her views. Her most recent trip was to the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns. 

The enjoyment from travelling was probably one of the many factors that influenced her away from Medicine and more towards neuroscience. Medicine had been her dream until Year 10 where was quick to realise that being a doctor would not have suited her because of the heavy study workload, long working hours, night shifts and all other elements involved in the regular lifestyle of a doctor, thus depriving her of the many more interesting things in the world.

Dr. Huang completed her Bachelor of Medical Science degree with Honours, where she researched the visual cortex found at the back of the brain. All the questions, those answered and especially those that were not, inspired her to remain working in the field of Visual Neuroscience.