The Hockaday Experience
Innovation and Collaboration
Alumnae Spotlight: Jialu Wang '13
Since graduating from Hockaday, Jialu (Lulu) Wang ’13 is now a senior research associate at ReCode Therapeutics, a California-based company with an office at BioLabs in Dallas dedicated to developing medicine for genetic diseases with no existing treatment options.
“I think this job is meaningful because though there’s a smaller patient population, there’s still so much unmet need,” Wang said. “Our hope is that one day, patients can expect to live just as normally as the
general population.”
The real-world implications of Wang’s work are immense. ReCode’s findings primarily benefit patients of two rare diseases: cystic fibrosis and primary ciliary dyskinesia. She works in the early development department, researching and testing hundreds of formulations of lipid nanoparticles that could be used in future medicines. “Out of hundreds of formulations, we select two or three to move forward to the next stage,” Wang said.
Wang’s interest in STEM was sparked during her time at Hockaday through classes like AP Physics, AP Chemistry and AP Biology. “I naturally gravitated to what I excelled at as it gave
me more confidence, and for me that was science,” Wang said.
She chose to pursue a bioengineering major due to its wide applications in diverse areas of science. “I like to integrate many things into my daily life, and biology allowed me to apply knowledge from physics and chemistry as well,” Wang said.
Wang later got her first taste of research in college, at Lehigh University, majoring in integrative bioengineering and chemistry and investigating footwear mechanics and researched rheumatoid arthritis in feet. Later, when completing her Master of Science in Immunoengineering at Johns Hopkins University, Wang worked on a variety of research projects, effectively utilizing Johns Hopkins’s vast resources.
“One of the most interesting projects I’ve done was where we aimed to help people who had unexpectedly lost limbs and improve transplants,” Wang said. “I transplanted the thymus, but we overall transplanted mice limbs, attempting to make them functional on their new bodies.”
She said she hopes Hockaday students will be at the forefront of research for a better world. “Though there still is a gender bias, the future of women in STEM looks really bright,” she said.
The Hockaday School
Within the private school community, The Hockaday School is an independent college-preparatory day school for girls from grades PK–12 located in Dallas, Texas. Students realize their limitless potential through challenging academic curricula, arts, athletics, and extracurricular programs so that they are inspired to lead lives of purpose and impact.
The Hockaday School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational, admissions, financial aid, athletic, and other policies and programs.
The Hockaday School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational, admissions, financial aid, athletic, and other policies and programs.