Dr. Alphonsus Ng, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, co-directs the DigiPharma Laboratory together with his faculty spouse, Dr. Yue Lu, in the Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics. Broadly, their research focuses on developing micro-nanotechnologies and computational methods to extract information from biospecimens that are not typically obtainable using conventional methods. They employ these tools to study biomolecules at multiple scales, tracking disease progression and treatment response, and thereby gain insights into the underlying pathologies associated with specific diseases or conditions. The ultimate goal of their lab is to deconvolute human complexity and improve human health.
Alphonsus, who was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Canada, has been with the University of Utah for nearly 2 years. Previously, he was a Research Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy. He earned his BASc in Engineering Science and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering, both at the University of Toronto. He also completed Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Toronto, the Institute for Systems Biology, and Caltech. Outside the lab, you can find Alphonsus spending time with Yue and their cat, Pharma. They love hanging out at home and traveling for food. Fun fact: Pharma, who is turning 3 this December, has already traveled coast to coast in multiple family trips.