Dmytro Shytikov
Dr. Dmytro Shytikov is from Ukraine and is currently a lecturer at ZJE. He graduated with his PhD from Kiev National University in 2015, focusing on the mechanisms of immune response, the interaction of the adaptive immune system with the natural immune system, and the mechanisms of aging of the immune system.
Dmytro started his research at university by joining Prof. Gennadii Butenko's lab, a team that studied the effects of blood exchange between animals of different ages, focusing on the immune system, which got Dmytro interested in the field of immunity, and guided him on an exploratory journey to study the immune system from then on.
In 2016, Dmytro came to China and joined the School of Basic Medical Sciences at Zhejiang University for a postdoctoral position. In a country where most people tend to go to Western countries to pursue research, coming to China to do research seemed like a "surprising choice." "But why not go? I'm enjoying everything here," Dmytro says with a smile. Dmytro joined ZJE in April 2021. Dmytro believes that ZJE's model of talent development is markedly different from where he went to school, with significant crossover and a cutting-edge curriculum of integrated courses for students.
During his time at ZJE, Dmytro has learned a lot of new things, especially about statistics (which he thinks is very important), and he has met many friendly colleagues, which has made him enjoy his research and life at ZJE even more. Dmytro is mainly responsible for the Biomedical Horizon course at ZJE, an interdisciplinary course that brings together the expertise of both ZJU and the University of Edinburgh to explore the potential of the Biomedical Horizon. Edinburgh University to explore how biomedicine can be used to address the challenges facing the world. The students enjoy his classes very much, and all see Dmytro as a friendly and fun teacher who loves in front of life. He had a lively approach to his classes, encouraging people to express themselves and guiding his classmates to solve problems independently. But when it comes to students' work, Dmytro is very serious, students can not only learn professional knowledge from him but also be infected by his rigorous attitude!
Although busy is Dmytro's daily routine, work is not all he does. In his leisure time, Dmytro reads, plays sports, takes walks with his wife, and does origami and postcrossing (postcard exchange). To understand Chinese culture and integrate into his new environment, Dmytro has tried to learn Chinese and happily accepted the Chinese name "Shi Mingcheng" which a friend suggested for him. "It sounds and looks good! My original name was a bit long," he jokes. This year, Dmytro and his wife experienced an authentic Chinese New Year, spending New Year's Eve with their twinned Haining family over a hot pot, and Dmytro thoughtfully prepared the ingredients to teach everyone how to make Ukrainian dumplings. That night, everyone sat around and had a great time talking about Eastern and Western cultures and Chinese New Year customs.
When it comes to the future, Dmytro hopes to become a researcher in the field of immunology and explore more deeply in immunotherapy. This is his second year as a lecturer, and there are many memorable experiences and much-needed updates that he hopes to pass on to his students in a way that is recognized by ZJE. At the same time, he looks forward to learning more Chinese and experiencing Chinese culture more deeply in the future.
